Syria unrest: '1,700 people have reportedly died

Syrian warships have joined a military assault on protesters in the northern port city of Latakia, activists say.

At least 19 people have been killed in the operation, according to activists and human rights groups.

Explosions and gunfire have been reported in several districts of the city which have seen large protests against the Syrian government.

More than 1,700 people have reportedly died in the six-month uprising against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad.

The operation began on Saturday with armoured vehicles and troops moving in.
'Residents flee'

Some 20 tanks and personnel carriers were said to be taking part in the Latakia assault along with at least two gunboats.

One witness told Reuters news agency by telephone: "I can see the silhouettes of two grey [naval] vessels. They are firing their guns and the impact is landing on al-Ramleh, al-Filistini and al-Shaab neighbourhoods."A report on state television denied there had been any naval shelling.

Activists said at least two people were killed and 15 wounded in Saturday's attacks.

They said a large number of residents had fled the city and that telephones and internet connections had been cut off.

International journalists face severe restrictions in operating in Syria, and it is hard to verify reports.

Thousands of people were said to have come on to the streets of Latakia on Friday to demonstrate against the government.

Saudi Arabia recalls against Syria's deadly crackdown

Saudi Arabia has said it is recalling its ambassador from Damascus in protest against Syria's deadly crackdown on anti-government demonstrators.
A statement from King Abdullah said the violence was "unacceptable" and called for it to stop before it was too late.

It came hours after the Arab League issued its first official statement, strongly condemning the violence.

On Sunday, more than 80 people died as the army launched assaults in eastern and central Syria, activists said.

They said at least 50 died when soldiers, backed by scores of tanks and armoured vehicles, stormed Deir al-Zour during the dawn call to prayer.

A man living in the city told the BBC the tanks had been withdrawn from the eastern city, but that residents feared they would come back.

Twenty-six others were killed in Hula, near the city of Homs, including a 10-year-old boy. Deaths were also reported in Idlib in the north-west.

The Local Co-ordination Committees, an activist group that documents and organises protests, said that after sunset, thousands of protesters poured onto the streets in towns and cities, including Damascus and its suburbs, Homs, Aleppo, and Latakia on the Mediterranean coast.

Activists say at least 1,700 civilians have been killed and tens of thousands arrested since the uprising began in mid-March.