Activists: 25 killed in Syrian 'warships shell port of Latakia'

About 20 tanks and armored vehicles of the Syrian army entered the port city of Latakia Syrian warships and security forces killed at least 25 people Sunday in an assault on the city of Latakia, activists said, as world leaders demanded a halt to the crushing of anti-regime protests. Warships shelled districts of the northern city on Sunday, killing at least 25 people, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
The military attack began on Saturday, targeting the protesters' stronghold of Ramleh in the city, it said.
Security forces also surged into the Damascus suburbs of Saqba and Hamriya overnight, cutting off communications, firing shots and making arrests, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
'Residents flee' Some 20 tanks and personnel carriers were also said to be taking part in the Latakia assault, with heavy gunfire reported in the Ramleh neighbourhood.
On Saturday, the military killed at least two more people and also wounded 15 in the Ramleh area of southern Latakia, a nerve centre of anti-regime protests, according to the advocacy group.
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."
The Syrian Observatory said landline telephones and Internet connections with the eastern Mediterranean port city were cut.
Around the capital, "security forces entered Saqba and Hamriya in great numbers and launched a campaign of arrests," said the Britain-based group.
It said troops arrived in "15 military trucks, eight troop carriers and four jeeps," launching the assault at around 2:00 am (2300 GMT Saturday).
"Gunfire was heard in both suburbs," the Observatory said, adding that landline telephone lines and Internet connections were severed during the military assault.
In a telephone conversation on Saturday, US President Barack Obama and Saudi King Abdullah expressed their "shared, deep concerns about the Syrian government's use of violence against its citizens," the White House said in a statement.
"They agreed that the Syrian regime's brutal campaign of violence against the Syrian people must end immediately."
In a separate phone call, Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron also called for for an "immediate" end to the bloodshed which has raged since protests broke out in mid-March.
They reiterated "their deep concern about the Syrian government's use of violence against civilians and their belief that the Syrian people's legitimate demands for a transition to democracy should be met," the White House said.
Washington has steadily ratcheted up the pressure on Damascus, imposing new sanctions and saying Assad has lost all legitimacy, but has so far stopped short of openly calling for him to step down.
Syrian troops backed by tanks have struggled to crush the revolt since pro-democracy protests turned into a full-scale uprising, despite repeated calls for restraint from world leaders.
The UN Security Council is due to hold a special meeting on Thursday to discuss human rights and the humanitarian emergency in Syria.
Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait have all recalled their ambassadors, while Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has described the methods used by the Syrian security forces as "unacceptable".
The violence has cost more than 2,150 lives, including around 400 members of the security forces, according to rights activists. Protests have been targeted in Homs, Hama, Damascus, Deir al-Zour in the east and Aleppo and Idlib near Turkey's border. Mr Assad has reiterated promises of political reform, while remaining adamant his government would continue to pursue the "terrorist groups" he has blamed for the unrest.