BEIRUT: Syrian security forces, cracking down on opposition strongholds in the city of Latakia, herded thousands of people into a stadium after taking away their identification cards and mobile phones, activists said.

Iranian snipers have also been deployed, a former member of the secret police said.

The officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said he had beaten prisoners and fired on protesters in Damascus.

At times during the past two months he was aware of Iranian troops - a fact confirmed by senior officers - alongside his team in the Syrian capital.