BBC News - Syrians flee 'massacres' in Baniyas and al-Bayda 4 May 2013 Last updated at 10:10 Hundreds of Syrians have fled coastal areas where activists accuse government forces of carrying out massacres in a campaign of sectarian cleansing. Gruesome videos show mutilated and burnt bodies of women and children, allegedly from the town of Baniyas. On Thursday activists said at least 50 died in the nearby village of al-Bayda. Meanwhile, Israeli officials say warplanes have carried out an air strike on Syria targeting weapons heading to Lebanon's Hezbollah. It is the second time this year that the Israelis have carried out such strikes. Militia involvement Activists have reported two massacres in two days in the coastal area of central Syria. They say the first was at the Sunni village of al-Bayda, which was overrun by regime forces on Thursday. Syria mass killings Apr 2011: More than 70 protesters killed as security forces fire on crowds in Deraa and Damascus Dec 2011: Activists say more than 100 army defectors killed over two days in Idlib province Aug 2012: Witnesses and activists say at least 300 killed as government forces storm Darayya, a Damascus suburb Activists groups have named up to 50 people they say were massacred in al-Bayda, some of them women and children. Now they are reporting similar scenes at the Ras al-Nabaa quarter of the nearby coastal town of Baniyas, and have posted gruesome video clips to back up their claims. The BBC's Jim Muir in neighbouring Lebanon says the the clips, which cannot be verified, show the bloodied and tangled bodies of women and children, some of them mutilated or partly incinerated. Hundreds of families are reported to have fled Baniyas southwards towards the city of Tartus, but activists say they have been blocked from taking shelter there. The pro-government militia known as the shabbiha are widely reported to be involved in the operation. Our correspondent says there is clearly a strong sectarian dimension to the reported actions. Local activist and opposition groups have accused the government of launching a campaign of sectarian cleansing in preparation for setting up some kind of Alawite entity, he adds. International efforts to tackle the violence have recently focused on the alleged use of chemical weapons by the regime. US President Barack Obama has described such actions as a "red line," but he said on Friday that he does not envisage a situation where US troops would be sent to Syria. The US has floated the idea in recent weeks of arming the rebel forces. Analysts say the US and its allies are also discussing action including air strikes to enforce a no-fly zone, but Syria's ally Russia is strongly opposed to such measures.