Syria's new authorities under interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa have sought to disband armed groups
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor has reported that 745 Alawite civilians were killed in Latakia and Tartus provinces.
Syrian authorities said the violence began when remnants loyal to Assad launched a deadly and well-planned attack on their forces on Thursday.
There were no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.
Sharaa was appointed Wednesday to lead Syria for an unspecified transitional period
No group has claimed the four activists' abduction and they have not been heard from since.
Ankara-backed rebels played a key role in supporting Sharaa's Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which headed a rebel alliance that seized Damascus on December 8, toppling longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad.
The seismic change in Syria is expected to yield deeper Turkish sway just as a change of US administration is raising questions over how long Washington will keep backing the country's Kurdish-led forces.
Assad fled Syria following a lightning offensive spearheaded by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), more than 13 years after his crackdown on democracy protests precipitated one of the deadliest wars of the century.
An image of a little boy wearing a bright red t-shirt and shorts lying face-down in the surf on a beach in one of Turkey's prime tourist resorts sweeps across social media.
Thousands of migrants are arriving in mainland Greece as the government prepares for talks on tackling the huge number of people reaching its shores.
A satellite image confirms that the main temple in the ancient city of Palmyra in northern Syria has been destroyed, the United Nations says.
Palmyra's ancient Temple of Bel is still standing despite an attempt by Islamic State (IS) militants to blow it up, Syria antiquities chief says.
The Islamic State (IS) militant group has destroyed part of another temple at the ancient Syrian site of Palmyra, activists and witnesses say.
Three people have been arrested in Libya on suspicion of involvement in launching a boat packed with migrants.
The UN says "much more is required" to prevent the deaths of migrants fleeing to Europe after hundreds were reported dead in recent days.
A Virginia teenager is set to be sentenced for helping another teen travel to Syria to join the Islamic State and providing other aid to the militant group.
People around the world are living longer, but many are also living sicker lives for longer, according to a study.
But it does not need Economist Intelligence Unit’s ranking for anybody to know that Dhaka has been rotting, stinking and becoming more terrible to live in every year.
