Latakia

So far, said committee spokesman Yasser Farhan, the panel has investigated only the province of Latakia but will soon move to neighboring provinces.

Syrian security forces were then accused of carrying out revenge killings of Alawites in the coastal province of Latakia - the sect's heartland.

In the countryside of Latakia, the Syrian security forces' control ends, and the boundaries of the Russian military's Hmeimim airbase begin.

The government launched the operation in Latakia province in response to a growing insurgency by Assad loyalists in recent weeks.

Hundreds of people have reportedly fled their homes in the coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus - strongholds of Assad support.