Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has launched an investigation after hundreds of people were killed in fighting between security forces and fighters loyal to ousted President Bashar al-Assad in the coastal cities of Latakia and Tartous.

“We announce the formation of a fact-finding committee regarding the events on the coast and form a higher committee,” al-Sharaa said in an address to the nation on Sunday following days of violent unrest.

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The Syrian leader said that the country was confronting attempts to drag it into a civil war. In his speech, al-Sharaa said that “remnants of the former regime” had no choice but to surrender immediately as he vowed to hold accountable “anyone involved in civilian bloodshed”.

The Syrian presidency earlier announced that an “independent committee” had been formed to “investigate the violations against civilians and identify those responsible for them”, adding that the perpetrators would be referred to court.

“The Committee has the right to use whoever it deems appropriate to perform its duties, and submit its report to the Presidency of the Republic within a maximum period of thirty days from the date of issuance of this decision,” the presidency’s statement read.

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According to Al Jazeera’s Resul Serdar, the clashes on Sunday took place in the town of Qardahah in Latakia.

“Qardahah is symbolically an extremely important [city], because it is the birthplace of the al-Assad regime,” said Serdar, reporting from Damascus.

“But one of the critical locations … is Baniyas, in Tartous. Banias is home to the largest oil refinery in Syria, and the security forces are saying that remnants of the old regime [have] several times attempted to attack that oil refinery,” he added.

The violence in Banias came despite a call for peace by al-Sharaa earlier on Sunday.

Serdar said that Syrian security forces have reported a loss of 230 of their own personnel, while the majority of those killed have been civilians.

Deadly clashes

The fighting began after the pro-Assad fighters coordinated attacks on security forces on Thursday. The attacks spiralled into revenge killings as thousands of armed supporters of Syria’s new leadership went to the coastal areas to support the security forces.

The clashes – which London-based war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said had already killed 1,000 people, mostly civilians – continued for a fourth day on Sunday. Syrians have circulated graphic videos of executions of civilians.

Al Jazeera has been unable to independently verify the casualty figures.

In the face of the clashes, al-Sharaa urged “national unity” as he reassured a crowd at a mosque in his childhood neighbourhood of Mezzeh, in Damascus.

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“We have to preserve national unity and domestic peace. We can live together,” the president said.

“Rest assured about Syria, this country has the characteristics for survival … What is currently happening in Syria is within the expected challenges.”

‘A major setback’

United Nations rights chief Volker Turk demanded prompt investigations into the killings and said those responsible must be held to account. Turk said announcements by the country’s authorities to respect the law need to be followed by action to protect Syrians and to ensure accountability for abuses.

According to Labib al-Nahhas, a Syrian opposition politician and activist, the violence is “a major setback” for post-Assad Syria.

“What happened right now is a highly sophisticated, coordinated attack, instigated and supported by Iran and Hezbollah, according to data and intel that is available,” al-Nahhas told Al Jazeera.

“Iran, which is looking for new leverage in Syria … they are counting on the sectarian and religious tension that exists in Syria due to six decades of the Syrian regime. But this is where the new authorities have a chance to show a different kind of tone and way.”

The new government must build “a strong national, unified front” – the cornerstone of which “would be a new transitional government that is truly inclusive, not [just] lip service”, al-Nahhas said.

“It’s the responsibility not only of the authorities, but also the entire Syrian society, to really focus on the positives, on the common ground.”

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Regional stability

Jordan, meanwhile, hosted a regional conference on Sunday to discuss issues facing Syria such as security, reconstruction and refugees. Top officials from Turkiye, Syria, Iraq, and Lebanon joined the meeting in the Jordanian capital Amman.

“All of those countries sharing a border with Syria have a vested interest that there is stability and security for the new administration and for the Syrian people,” said Al Jazeera’s Nour Odeh, reporting from Amman.

“For example, stability in Syria means that the millions of refugees that Turkiye and Jordan are hosting can return voluntarily to Syria,” she added.

“If there is stability and the rule of law and a united Syria, then Iraq can have more comfort in the fight against ISIS [ISIL]…. If there is stability and security, Jordan can also be more comfortable in the fight against drug trafficking, which has created a crisis for the Jordanian government.”

Al-Assad’s overthrow in December ended more than five decades of dynastic rule by his family, which was marked by severe repression and a devastating war that erupted in 2011 after peaceful anti-government protests were met with a brutal security crackdown. Tens of thousands of Syrians were killed and millions were forced to flee the country or displaced internally as Syria descended into war.