BEIRUT, March 8 -- The death toll from two days of fighting between security forces and supporters of deposed Syrian president Bashar Assad, followed by retaliatory killings, has exceeded 600, a war monitoring group reported on Saturday.

This marks one of the deadliest outbreaks of violence since the Syrian conflict began 14 years ago, reports AP.

Assad loyalists kill at least 13 police officers in ambush on Syrian forces in coastal town

The clashes, which began on Thursday, signalled a significant escalation in resistance against the new government in Damascus, just three months after insurgents took control and removed Assad from power.

The government stated that it was responding to attacks by remnants of Assad's forces and attribu...