Syrian Gunboats fire on Latakia

One witness, speaking by phone to Reuters, said: 'I can see the silhouettes of two grey vessels.


'They are firing their guns and the impact is landing on al-Raml al-Filistini and al-Shaab neighbouhoods." President Assad is from Syria's minority Alawite sect, while Latakia is majority Sunni with a large Alawite population.

Demonstrations against the leader during the five-month uprising against his autocratic rule have been biggest in Sunni neighbourhoods. Sunnis, which are a majority in Syria, live in Latakia’s urban core, while Assad’s minority Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam, populates villages on the city’s outskirts, along with small minorities of Christians, ethnic Turks and other groups.

Sonya class minesweeper: A wooden hulled coastal minehunter, built as a successor to the Vanya class with new sweeps and more effective sonar. 2 - 30mm guns (1x2)
2 x 25mm guns (1x2)
Yevgenya class minesweeper: These were small minehunters built for inshore work. The hulls were constructed of glass-reinforced plastic. 2–14.5 mm machine guns




Syrian forces were using medium-range weapons and machine guns in their attack on the neighborhoods, according to the Local Coordination Committees of Syria,