"Gunfire was heard in the southern quarter of Sleibi but the source has not yet been identified," Issam Khoury, a Latakia-based journalist, told AFP.
City residents also reported a drive-by shooting at a sit-in, where protesters had raised banners reading: "No to strife, yes to peace and freedom."
The report could not be independently confirmed.
An eyewitness, contacted by telephone, said security forces had opened fire to disperse demonstrators disappointed by Assad`s speech.
Syrian troops have deployed in force to Latakia, a religiously diverse port city 350 kilometres (220 miles) northwest of Damascus, that has been one of two main flashpoints in two weeks of increasingly violent protests.
The news came shortly after Assad gave a highly-anticipated speech in which he accused Syria`s enemies of a "conspiracy" targeting national unity and failed to announce the end of half a century of emergency rule, as had been widely expected. (*)
Editor: Kunto Wibisono
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