Twin suicide bombings hit Syria's Tartus

Attackers in military fatigues exchanged fire with guards near the Baath Party headquarters in the city, and later detonated their explosive belts, killing at least two security officers, local media reported.

An unidentified number of injuries have also been reported.

Tartus has been largely spared the worst violence of Syria's conflict since it began with anti-government protests in March 2011.

It has become a refuge for many Syrians fleeing the fighting that has displaced over half the country's population.

The city also houses Russia’s only naval base on the Mediterranean Sea, established in 1977.

A countrywide ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey looked fragile on Saturday after clashes and bombings were reported in outside Damascus.

Rebels warned that ceasefire violations by pro-government forces threatened to undermine the two-day-old agreement intended to pave the way for talks between the government and the opposition in the new year.

Airstrikes pounded opposition-held villages and towns in the strategically-important Barada Valley outside Damascus, activists said, prompting rebels to threaten to withdraw their compliance with the truce.

Various estimates have put the war's overall toll at around 400,000 dead.