At least 101 people were killed on Monday in two Syrian cities in a spate of bombings claimed by the ISIL Takfiri group.

At least 101 people were killed on Monday in two Syrian cities in Latakia pprovince, in a spate of bombings claimed by the ISIL Takfiri group.

Fifty-three people were martyred in the city of Jableh and another 48 died in Tartus further south, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group.

Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said they were "without a doubt the deadliest attacks" on the two cities since Syria's conflict erupted in March 2011.

The ISIL group claimed the attacks via its Amaq news agency, saying its insurgents had attacked "Alawite gatherings" in Tartus and Jableh.

Seven bombs -- most of them suicide attacks -- hit Jableh and Tartus almost simultaneously on Monday morning.

Syrian state media also reported the attacks but gave a total of 78 dead, including 45 in Jableh and 33 in Tartus.

State television broadcast footage of a bus station that was hit by one blast in Tartus.
Charred minibuses lay on their sides while others were still ablaze.