Clashes between government security forces and supporters of ousted former President Bashar al-Assad have killed at least 311 people in Syria since Thursday, according to a monitoring group that warns the actual death toll could be “much higher.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 745 civilians were killed, mostly in shootings from close distances.

Syria is experiencing its deadliest period since the ousting of longtime President Bashar al-Assad three months ago, as clashes have erupted between government forces and pro-al Assad fighters this week,

More than 1,000 people, among them more than 745 civilians, have died in massacres and fighting that has gripped Syrian coastal areas since Thursday, Rami Abdel-Rahman, the head of a Syrian monitoring group,

Scores have been killed in fierce clashes between government forces and gunmen loyal to the Assad regime, in a serious challenge to the country’s new rulers.