Syrian security forces have imposed a curfew on Latakia city, a bastion of the country's Alawite minority, state media reports, days after four people were killed in protests that spiralled into violence.
Syria has been rocked by several episodes of sectarian bloodshed since longtime leader Bashar al-Assad, who hails from the Muslim Alawite community, was ousted by a rebel offensive last year and replaced by a Sunni-led government.
The latest riots come days after eight people were killed when a bomb detonated at an Alawite mosque in the nearby city of Homs.
State media said the curfew was set to last from 5pm local time on Tuesday until 6am local time on Wednesday.
Security forces reinforced their deployment in a number of neighbourhoods in Latakia city on the Mediterranean coast, which witnessed riots on Monday that injured about a dozen people.
Thousands of Alawite protesters gathered on Sunday in Azhari Square in Latakia city to demand a decentralised political system in Syria and the release of thousands of Alawite prisoners.
A similar protest in November lasted barely an hour before being confronted by a rival protest in support of Syria's new government. Syrian security forces used gunfire to break up both.