It is not clear whether civilians numbered among the casualties of Monday’s fighting, says Rami Abdul-Rahman, who heads the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The clashes in the town of Hass is the latest between government troops and suspected defectors. Syria-based rights activist Mustafa Osso said there were also clashes in the nearby Jabal Al-Zawiya region Monday but he had no immediate word on casualties.
The fighting reveals the increasingly militarized nature of an uprising against President Bashar Assad’s regime. The revolt was started seven months ago by mostly peaceful protesters.