At least thirty killed in heavy fighting in Latakia mountains

Syrian rebels battled forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad in the Jabal Akrad mountains overlooking the Mediterranean on Sunday and a monitoring group said at least 30 people were killed.

Video footage showed fighters identified as members of an al-Qaeda-linked Islamist brigade waving from the roof of an army tower in the village of Barouda, one of several Alawite villages attacked by the rebels on Sunday, Reuters said.

Pro-Assad cyber activists have expressed through social media pages the arising   fears among Assad's supporters of an imminent danger in the coastal city and its countryside.

Tens of families have fled from the villages close to rebel-held areas, Zaman Alwasl reporter said. Many of markets have closed after the news of rebels' progress and its control the mountains that surrounding the city.

The mainly Sunni Muslim rebels are battling to overthrow Assad, whose minority Alawite sect is an offshoot of Shia Islam, in a civil war which erupted two years ago when mainly peaceful protests against his rule were put down with force.

Assad, with support from Iran and Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas, has gained ground in recent months from the rebel fighters who are backed by regional Sunni Muslim powers but remain largely outgunned by his army.

The anti-Assad Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 12 rebels and 19 pro-Assad fighters - including soldiers and members of his militia known as the National Defence Army - were killed in Sunday's fighting in the mountains of east Latakia province.

A source in Latakia said the fighting started at dawn and that the rebels, based in the town of Salma, attacked 10 Alawite villages.

Ambulance sirens, punctuated by the sound of bombardment and government air raids on Salma, could be heard throughout the day, he said to Reuters.