Syria tanks, gunboats shell port city amid fears for Palestinian refugees (VIDEO)

Syrian tanks reportedly opened fire on the city of Latakia on Tuesday as government forces pounded the city for a fourth day to crush anti-government protests.

One resident told Al Jazeera that tanks and gunboats randomly shelled the city, while snipers hiding on rooftops shot anyone who ventured onto the streets.

"What's happening is really severe. Shooting is still there and the buildings are occupied by others. The moment they see anything moving they will shoot it," said the resident, who called himself Ismail.

The resident of the al-Ramel al-Janoubi neighborhood added: "Yesterday we had a lot of problems in this area, a daughter was killed and her father was killed… No one is safe in this area."

Another witness told CNN gunfire and shelling were heard "all night and morning."

"This is the fourth day that we do not have electricity or water. Landline phone connections have been down most of the day," he said by satellite phone.

Thousands of Palestinian refugees have reportedly fled a U.N. refugee camp in Al-Ramel neighborhood after Syrian forces opened fire on the area.

Chris Gunness, a spokesman for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, told AFP 5,000 to 10,000 Palestinian refugees had fled the area. "We need to get in there and find out what the hell is going on," he said.

The Syrian government however denied the allegations. After more than five months of bloody unrest that has claimed hundreds of civilian lives, the regime continues to insist it is fighting criminal gangs.

White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters that President Barack Obama believed Assad had lost his legitimacy and his people "will be better off without him."

Assad "has to cease the systematic violence, mass arrests, and the outright murder of his own people," the spokesman said.

"The Syrian people deserve a peaceful transition to democracy; they deserve a government that doesn't torture them, arrest them and kill them."