Damascus, Syria - Fierce clashes erupted on Thursday between security forces of Syria's transitional government and loyalists of ousted dictator Bashar al-Assad, as the new rulers struggle to re-establish security in the war-shattered country.

The violence flared up after security forces stormed the village of Balqasah, west of Homs province in central Syria where remnants of the former regime were holed up, reported monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The ensuing clashes involving heavy weapons and drones left four members of the security forces dead, the monitor added.

An unspecified number of al-Assad's supporters, led by a wanted man known as Shujaa al-Ali, were also killed in the fighting, the observatory added.

China Japan raises "serious concerns" over China military buildup

Al-Ali is a pro-Iran militiaman in the area and is wanted in connection with murder and kidnapping cases, according to the UK-based monitor that relies on a network of contacts inside Syria.

Syria's state news agency SANA confirmed the clashes, saying they had left two security personnel dead and 10 others injured.

The agency reported that during a security campaign in the Homs countryside, outlaw groups linked to al-Assad's militias had attacked security forces.

Al-Assad, who ruled Syria for more than two decades, fled the country as Islamist-led rebels advanced on the capital Damascus on December 8, after making major territorial gains against his forces in a lightning offensive.

Earlier Thursday, security forces arrested in the Tartus countryside in western Syria Major-General Mohammed Kingo al-Hassan, who served as director of al-Assad's Military Judicial Administration and ordered the execution of many detainees, the observatory reported.

Fourteen security personnel were killed on Wednesday in an attack believed to have been carried out by al-Assad's supporters during a security raid to arrest al-Hassan, according to the observatory.

During the operation, young armed individuals reportedly opened fire on the officers.

Russia Russia under growing pressure amid reports that it shot down Azerbaijan Airlines jet

The attack, carried out by al-Assad's supporters, also left three of the assailants dead, the monitor added.

The transitional government's Interior Ministry had warned of efforts by loyalists of the ousted Syrian long-time ruler to destabilize the country.

Large numbers of angry people on Wednesday took to the streets in several cities in Syria including Damascus in protest after a shrine of a prominent cleric had been vandalized, eyewitnesses said.

The protesters condemned the burning of the shrine of Sheikh Abu Abdullah al-Hussein al-Khusaiby in the northern province of Aleppo.

Al-Khusaiby is revered by Syria's minority Alawite sect – an offshoot of Shia Islam – to which al-Assad's family belongs.

"This is an attack on all members of the Alawite sect in Syria," said Haider Ali in Homs, one of the cities where the protests flared up.

Similar demonstrations took place in the Syrian cities of Latakia, Tartus, and Baniyas, and the Mezzeh suburb west of Damascus, witnesses said.