Government troops and opposition forces clashed across Syria on Wednesday (June 13th) as fighters withdrew from the besieged town of al-Heffa after eight days of intense shelling, AFP reported.

At least 34 people were killed in violence across country, among them 27 civilians, six soldiers and one rebel, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Opposition forces in al-Heffa in Latakia province withdrew in what they described as a tactical move aimed at sparing the lives of residents under shellfire.

The Syrian government, on the other hand, said it had "cleansed terrorists" from the town.

"Security and calm were restored in the area of al-Heffa, which was cleansed after armed terrorist groups assaulted citizens and vandalised and burned a number of public and private properties," the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported.

UN observers came under fire in a village near al-Heffa on Tuesday after government supporters surrounded their vehicles as they were trying to reach the besieged town, a UN official said.