Syrian authorities on Thursday reported that fighters loyal to ousted leader Bashar al-Assad had mounted a deadly, well-planned attack on government forces, marking some of the worst violence against the government since Islamist-led rebels seized power.

A deadly clash erupted in Syria on Thursday between security forces and gunmen loyal to ousted leader Bashar al-Assad, leaving 48 people dead.

Fierce fighting between Syrian security forces and gunmen loyal to deposed ruler Bashar al-Assad killed 48 people on Thursday, a war monitor said.

At least 16 members of Syria's security forces were killed on Thursday in clashes with militants linked to Bashar al-Assad's ousted regime, according to a monitor group, in one of the worst eruptions of violence since the country's new administration under interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa came into power.

Armed men affiliated with Syria’s toppled regime carried out surprise attacks on the port city of Latakia and other Mediterranean areas, killing more than a dozen security people in some of the fiercest confrontations since the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad in December.