Tartu

He had escaped the first days of the unrest from Tartus city to his hometown village of Sheikh Saeed, 22 miles north of the Lebanese border.

Hundreds of people have reportedly fled their homes in the coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus - strongholds of Assad support.

According to The Times, the Russian merchant ship was transporting military hardware from the Russian naval base in Tartus, Syria, with crew on the accompanying warship seen burning papers and manning the ship's machine guns.

It also secured 49-year leases on two military bases on the Mediterranean coast - the Tartus naval base and the Hmeimim air base.

"Whether they are worried about attack from the Syrian rebels or collateral damage from any Israeli strike on Syrian assets in Tartus is unknown," he added.