Three dead in Alawite protests on Syrian coast, local officials say

By Karam al-Masri

Three people were killed on Sunday when protests in Syria’s Alawite heartland of Latakia spiralled into gunfire and other violence, according to the province’s media office.

Syria has been rocked by several episodes of sectarian bloodshed since longtime leader Bashar al-Assad, who hails from the Muslim Alawite minority, was ousted by a rebel offensive last year and replaced by a Sunni-led government.

Thousands of Alawite protesters gathered on Sunday...