Interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa accuses Assad loyalists and foreign powers of fomenting unrest with aim of dragging country back into civil war

Sharaa has launched an investigation after hundreds of people were killed in fighting between security forces and fighters loyal to ousted President Bashar al-Assad in the coastal cities of Latakia and Tartous.

Syria's new leader has vowed accountability and an investigation after reports of mass killings of Alawite civilians triggered an international backlash against the worst violence since Bashar al-Assad's overthrow.

Syria's leader vowed on Sunday (March 9) to hunt down the perpetrators of violent clashes pitting loyalists of deposed President Bashar al-Assad against the country's new Islamist rulers and said he would hold to account anyone who overstepped their authority.

In a speech broadcast on national TV and posted on social media, Sharaa, whose rebel movement toppled Bashar al-Assad in December, also promised to hunt down Assad loyalists. The fighting has also killed 231 members of the security forces and 250 pro-Assad fighters,