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

Smoke rises from a factory hit during clashes by Syrian security forces and gunmen loyal to former President Bashar Assad on the outskirts of Latakia, Syria, on Friday (Omar Albam/AP)

Gunmen loyal to the government have stormed three villages near Syria’s coast, killing nearly 70 men, a Syrian war monitor says.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the killings happened on Friday in the villages of Sheer, Mukhtariyeh and Haffah.