Syria witnesses its deadliest violence since Assad’s ouster, with over 1,000 killed. The conflict between Sunni-led government forces and Alawite fighters escalates amid sectarian reprisals and international concern.

Syria's leader vowed on Sunday (March 9) to hunt down the perpetrators of violent clashes pitting loyalists of deposed President Bashar al-Assad against the country's new Islamist rulers and said he would hold to account anyone who overstepped their authority.

The death toll from two days of clashes between security forces and loyalists of ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and revenge killings that followed has risen to more than 600, a war monitoring group said Saturday.