Residents of a besieged Syrian coastal city said heavy machine gun fire was heard in several districts as President Bashar Assad’s offensive in Latakia entered its fourth day.

SYRIAN gunboats firing heavy machine guns pounded impoverished districts of Latakia yesterday, killing at least 19 people in a renewed assault on the Mediterranean coastal city.

Gunfire and sporadic explosions rattled Daraa today after the Syrian army sent in more tanks and reinforcements as part of a widening crackdown.