The attack comes after police imposed a curfew following protests sparked by an online video of an attack on an Alawite shrine.
Members of the Syrian police have been killed in an “ambush” by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad who were ousted from Tartous Governorate in the latest security crisis for the new regime that came to power two days ago.
The new Syrian interior minister Mohammed Abdul Rahman said on Thursday that the “remnants” of the Assad regime in Tartus killed 14 policemen and wounded 10 others, vowing to deal with “anyone who tries to undermine Syria's security or endanger the lives of its citizens”.
The attack came as protests occurred in several cities after a video showing the destruction of Alawite holy sites in the city of Aleppo went viral on the Internet on Wednesday. Police imposed a curfew in Homs, Latakia, Jableh and Tartous until 8am (05:00 GMT). Al Jazeera has not confirmed whether the curfew has been lifted.
The interior ministry said on its Telegraph account that the video, which showed armed men walking inside the shrine and standing next to the bodies of people, began when militants attacked Aleppo in late November.
The ministry said the attacks were carried out by unidentified groups, and the person who is posting the video appears to be trying to incite sectarian conflict.
State media reported that residents of Homs reported that the protests in the city were led by Alawite and Shia Muslim religious minorities.
Some said the protests were linked to pressure and violence in recent days against the Alawite minority, a group known to be loyal to al-Assad, who was ousted by opposition-led Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group earlier this month.
Al Jazeera's Hashem Ahelbarra, a Damascus correspondent, described the situation in Syria as critical now, pointing to the past 48 hours mainly in the Alawite heartland of Latakia and Tartous, as well as Homs and Aleppo.
Hashem said that the new administration has brought about a major strengthening of the security forces to try to reduce conflicts in the areas.
“Yesterday, late at night, there were high-level meetings of the new administration on how to proceed, and one of the decisions is to dismantle what they describe as the remnants of the old regime, the members of the Fourth Division, (who) were the elite presidential guards loyal to Maher al-Assad, the brother of The former president,” he said.
“But the new leadership is a little worried about the potential for serious conflict.”
Assad, who assumed the presidency after the death of his father in 2000, fled to Russia after opposition rebels seized Damascus on December 8, ending more than five decades of Baath Party rule.
The country's new leaders have repeatedly promised to protect religious minorities, who fear their rights under the new regime.
Several people are believed to have been killed and wounded in another attack by ex-military forces in a coastal area, according to the interior ministry.