The Syrian Network for Human Rights said armed groups and foreign fighters aligned with the government but not integrated into it were largely responsible for the sectarian violence.

Armed groups killed entire families, including women and children, during an outbreak of sectarian violence in Syria last week, the United Nations human rights office said on Tuesday.

This past weekend’s sectarian violence was possibly among the bloodiest 72 hours in the modern history of Syria after 14 years of civil war — and it threatens to open an endless cycle of vengeance

Syria's fragile transition from decades of Assad family brutal rule has been greatly shaken with an outburst of sectarian retribution and killings, posing a serious challenge to the new leadership led by Ahmad Sharaa.

The killings occurred in the heartland of Syria’s Alawite minority, escalating after a nascent insurgency formed against the Sunni Islamist government.

Clashes in Syria's coastal areas kill more than 700 people, a monitor says. Interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa's government says it has regained control of the situation.

Entire families including women and children were killed in Syria's coastal region during a military crackdown against an insurgency by Bashar al-Assad loyalists, the U.N human rights office said on Tuesday.

The UN human rights office has verified the killing of 111 civilians in the coastal region, but says the actual figure is far higher.