Clashes in Syria between government forces and Assad loyalists kill more than 70

Syrian government forces are deployed amid heightened security in Damascus, Syria (Ghaith Alsayed/AP)

Clashes between Syrian security forces and gunmen loyal to former president Bashar Assad in the country’s coastal region have left more than 70 people dead and an area outside government control, a war monitor said.

Government forces sent major reinforcements overnight to the cities of Latakia and Tartus as well as nearby towns and villages that are the heartland of the minority Alawite sect and a base of support for Mr Assad, to try to get the situation under control, state media reported.