Gunmen have ambushed a Syrian police patrol in a coastal town leaving at least 13 security members dead and many wounded, a war monitor said.

Syrian forces loyal to the new government in Damascus have engaged in heavy fighting with remnants of the ousted Assad regime in a coastal area in the country's north-west. At least 13 soldiers have been killed in the clashes in Latakia province,

A deadly clash erupted in Syria on Thursday between security forces and gunmen loyal to ousted leader Bashar al-Assad, leaving 48 people dead.

Gunmen loyal to Syria’s Bashar al-Assad killed 16 security personnel on Thursday, a war monitor said, in attacks it described as the “most violent” since the longtime president’s ouster. The fighting took place in the Mediterranean coastal province of Latakia,