Sixteen members of the General Security Administration have been killed or wounded in rural Latakia, northwestern Syria, following attacks by armed groups described as remnants of former Bashar al Assad's regime, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.

Syria's state news agency SANA cited a security source on Thursday as saying that groups affiliated with Assad's militias targeted Defence Ministry personnel and vehicles near Beit Ana in Latakia, killing one soldier and wounding others.

While SANA did not provide an official casualty count, the Syrian Observatory published a report confirming 16 casualties without offering further details.

According to the security source, the attackers also fired on ambulances attempting to evacuate the wounded, SANA reported.

Following the arrival of reinforcements, the militants took up positions in Beit Ana and directly engaged security forces, the source added.

SANA quoted another security official as saying that pro-Assad militants attacked a General Security Administration checkpoint near Jableh in Latakia, also targeting civilian vehicles.

"Our forces have now established a security cordon around the remnants of Assad's militias and outlawed gangs in the villages of Beit Ana and Daliyah," the official said.

He added that the armed groups clashing with security forces in Latakia "were formerly loyal to warlord Suheil al Hassan, accused of committing mass atrocities against Syrians."

'Coordinated attacks'

In a statement later, Syria's Interior Ministry quoted Latakia's security chief, Lieutenant Colonel Mustafa Knaifati, who described the attack as a premeditated assault.

"Multiple groups of Assad remnants launched attacks on our security posts and checkpoints," Knaifati said on the ministry's Telegram channel.

He added that security patrols were also ambushed in Jableh and its outskirts, resulting in multiple casualties, though he did not provide an exact toll.

"Even government buildings and public and private property were not spared, as pro-Assad militants vandalised public infrastructure in and around Jableh," he said.

Knaifati said that security forces across Latakia had been fully mobilised and managed to absorb the initial attack in rural Jableh, though clashes were still ongoing inside the city.

He added that reinforcements had arrived from other provinces, along with additional military support from the Defence Ministry.

"We assure our people that we have contained this treacherous attack and will work to eliminate these groups, restore stability and protect public and private property," he added.

Following these developments, the General Security Administration in Tartus, western Syria, announced a citywide curfew on Thursday set to remain in effect until Friday morning, citing "security directives and necessary precautions to ensure public safety."

"A general curfew will be imposed from 10:00 pm today until 10:00 am Friday, March 7, 2025," the administration said in a statement.