Syria says 14 policemen killed in ambush by forces loyal to Assad | Military news in Syria

The attack comes after police imposed a curfew following protests sparked by an online video of an attack on an Alawite shrine.

Members of the Syrian police were killed in an “ambush” by forces loyal to ousted President Bashar al-Assad in Tartus province in the latest security challenge for the new administration that came to power two weeks ago.

Syria's new interior minister, Mohammed Abdul Rahman, said Thursday that the “remnants” of the Assad government in Tartus killed 14 police officers and wounded 10 others, vowing to crack down on “anyone who dares to undermine Syria's security or endanger the lives of its citizens.”

The attack came as protests occurred in several cities after a video showing the vandalism of an Alawite shrine in the city of Aleppo went viral online on Wednesday. Police imposed a curfew in Homs, Latakia, Jable and Tartus until 8am (0500 GMT). Al Jazeera could not confirm whether the curfew had been lifted.

The interior ministry said on its official Telegram account that the video, which shows gunmen walking around the shrine and posing near human bodies, dates back to the rebel offensive against Aleppo in late November.

The ministry said the violence was carried out by unknown groups, adding that whoever shared the video appeared to be seeking to incite sectarian strife.

State media reported that residents of Homs said the demonstrations in the city were led by members of the minority Alawite and Shiite religious communities.

Some residents said the demonstrations were linked to pressure and violence in recent days targeting members of the Alawite minority, a sect long seen as loyal to al-Assad, who was ousted by opposition fighters led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). group earlier this month.

Al Jazeera's Hashem Ahelbara, reporting from Damascus, described the situation in Syria as extremely delicate at the moment, with hot spots in the past 48 hours, particularly in the Alawite heartland of Latakia and Tartus, as well as Homs and Aleppo.

Hashem said the new administration has brought in massive reinforcements to security forces to try to reduce tensions in the areas.

“Yesterday, late at night, there were high-level meetings of the new administration on how to move forward, and one of the options is a crackdown on what they describe as remnants of the old regime, members of the Fourth Division, (which) was the elite presidential guard loyal to Maher al-Assad, brother of the former president,” he said.

“But the new administration is a little concerned about the potential for a bloody confrontation.”

Assad, who assumed the presidency after his father's death in 2000, fled to Russia after opposition fighters seized Damascus on December 8, ending more than five decades of Baath Party rule.

The country's new leaders have repeatedly promised to protect minority religious groups who fear for their rights under the new administration.

A number of people are believed to have been killed and wounded in a separate attack by former regime forces in the coastal region, according to the interior ministry.