Wetin dey happun for Syria wey don lead to di death of hundreds of civilians

Syria interim president Ahmed Sharaa don call for peace and national unity afta Syrian security forces allegedly kill hundreds of civilians wey belong to di Alawite religious minority.

Di British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) – wey dey monitor development for Syria – tok say some 745 civilians don die for around 30 "massacres" wey target Alawites on Friday and Saturday.

Di BBC neva fit independently verify dis claims.

"We must preserve national unity (and) civil peace as much as possible and, God willing, we go fit live togeda for dis kontri," Sharaa tok from one mosque for Damascus on Sunday.

Wetin dey happun dey part of di "expected challenges" afta di fall of Assad, e add for one video message.

Reports say plenty pipo don run comot from dia houses for di region – one heartland of president Bashar al-Assad wey dem overthrow - e also belong to di Alawite sect.

Reports say dis na di worst violence for Syria since rebels overthrow Assad for December and install one Islamist transitional goment.

Dis number include dozens of goment troops and gunmen wey dey loyal to Assad, wey follow for di clashes for di coastal Latakia and Tartous provinces since Thursday, 6 March.

About 125 members of di Islamist-led goment security forces and 148 pro-Assad fighters don die for di violence, according to di SOHR report.

Alawites, na one group wey come out of Shia Islam, dem make up around 10% of Syria population, wey majority na Sunni Muslim.

One Syrian defence ministry tok-tok pesin tell di Sana news agency say di goment don re-establish control afta "treacherous attacks" against dia security personnel.

Di violence don leave di Alawite community in "a state of horror", one activist for di city tell di BBC on Friday, and hundreds of pipo don run comot from affected areas, according to reports.

Large crowds bin seek refuge for one Russian military base for Hmeimim, Latakia, according to di Reuters news agency.

Video footage wey Reuters share show dozens of pipo wey dey chant "pipo want Russian protection" outside di base.

Meanwhile, dozens of families don run go neighbouring Lebanon, according to local media.

Di UN special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, tok say im dey "deeply alarmed" by "veri troubling reports of civilian casualties" for Syria coastal areas.

E call on all sides to stop actions wey fit "destabilise" di kontri and jeopardise a "credible and inclusive political transition".