At least 150,000 people have been killed in Syria’s three-year-old civil war, according to a new report.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights which monitors violence says the real death toll is likely to be much higher at around 220,000.

In Kesab, an Armenian populated town 60 kilometres north of Latakia, residents have been forced to seek shelter wherever they can.

“We took nothing with us, no means, no clothes, nothing. We just left with what we were wearing at that moment,” said Siran Demirchian.

“We organized self-defense and we defended our town for around one year. We were patrolling every day, every night. That day we received information about the invasion from a shepherd from Turkish side,” said Gevorg Nazarian.

It comes as Lebanese forces increase security in and around Tripoli in a push to control sectarian violence fuelled by the war in Syria.

At least 27 people have been killed over the past three weeks in the Lebanese capital in clashes between Sunni Muslims and members of the Alawite sect, an off-shoot of Shi’ite Islam.