Militants attacked Syrian security forces in the western city of Homs on Saturday killing at least 14 people, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.
The sound of gunfire and explosions had been heard since early in the day and those killed included a senior officer, the British-based war monitor said.
It was not immediately clear if the militants were from "Islamic State" (IS) militant group or other groups, it said. IS have carried out bombing attacks in the city, which is under government control except for one besieged district held by more moderate rebels.
A witness told Reuters at least one suicide attack had hit government targets inside Homs and killed and wounded several people.
Reporting by John Davison; additional reporting by Ahmed Tolba in Cairo and Kinda Makieh in Damascus; editing by David Clarke; Reuters
