Syria's main opposition group has accused government of committing a "large-scale massacre" on Thursday. At least fifty people are reported killed and the death toll could rise to as high as 100 in a Sunni village in Syria.

Syrian opposition groups blamed pro-government troops swept into the Bayda village, and killed men, women and children. Meanwhile Syria’s state news agency said late Thursday that the army conducted a raid in Bayda, killing several "terrorists" and seizing machine guns, automatic rifles and other weapons.

The Bayda village is primarily inhabited by Sunni Muslims, who dominate the country’s rebel movement. But it is located in the heartland of Assad’s Alawite sect. It is an offshoot of Shiite Islam and also is the backbone of the government.

The Syrian conflict, started as peaceful protests in March 2011, has turned into a full-scale civil war. The war has split the country along religious lines, and the violence in Bayda appeared to have sectarian overtones.