A Syria conflict monitoring group reported that 17 people were killed on Wednesday in clashes in Tartus province, following an attempt by security forces to arrest an officer, who served under the government of ousted President Bashar al-Assad, who was allegedly associated with a notorious prison.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that "14 members of the General Security force" under Syria's new authorities were killed, along with "three armed men" in Khirbet al-Maaza, bringing the death toll up from an earlier count of nine.

The Observatory added that the forces were attempting to arrest an officer who was among "those responsible for the crimes at Saydnaya prison."

New Interior Minister Mohammed Abdel Rahman stated that "14 interior ministry personnel were killed and 10 others wounded after... a treacherous ambush by remnants of the criminal regime" in Tartus province, while they were carrying out their duties to maintain security and safety.

The Observatory stated that the wanted individual was "an officer in the former regime forces who held the position of director of the military justice department and field court chief," identifying him as Mohammed Kanjo Hassan.

It indicated that he "issued death sentences and arbitrary judgments against thousands of prisoners."

The Britain-based Observatory, which relies on a network of sources inside Syria, reported that the clashes in Tartus province broke out after "a number of residents refused to allow their houses to be searched."

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Security operation launched in Tartus countryside

The Military Operations Department in Syria, in coordination with the Ministry of Interior, launched an operation aimed at "restoring security, stability, and civil peace, as well as targeting" groups linked to the former regime in the forests and hills of the Tartus Governorate, according to reports from the SANA news agency.

SANA further reported that during the operation, the Military Operations Department successfully neutralized several groups and individuals linked to the former regime, while continuing to pursue others.

A security source in the Syrian caretaker government confirmed the establishment of a security cordon around the neighborhoods that saw unrest on Wednesday. The source also announced the identification of a list containing individuals wanted by the former regime, who had opened fire on the police.

The source explained that the list includes officers from the former regime's apparatuses "who failed to come forward to resolve their status." That said, a 4-day deadline has also been set for these individuals to surrender themselves and their weapons.

Additionally, a security source in the Syrian Ministry of Defense told Syrian media outlets that a campaign had been launched in areas of the Damascus countryside to "seize illegal weapons and arrest those inciting sedition," he stated.

On Wednesday, the city of Masyaf in the northwestern Hama countryside witnessed a demonstration condemning the assassination of three judges on Tuesday, during which participants raised slogans affirming the unity of the Syrian people and the need to hold those involved accountable.

A local source indicated that foreign armed individuals attempted to forcibly disperse the demonstrators, provoking anger among the residents, and prompting city elders to intervene to prevent any clashes between the locals and the foreign militants.

On Tuesday, three judges from the Alawite sect were killed at the Rabia-Masyaf junction in the northwestern countryside of Hama, coinciding with ongoing retaliatory operations in several Syrian provinces.

Local sources clarified that the three victims were civilian land registry judges from the Hama city court, not military judges. The attack reportedly occurred as they were returning from a meeting in Hama city.