The Syrian army stepped up its military operation in the central city of Homs, which has become a focal point for pro-democracy protests, activists and residents said Thursday.
Shooting and explosions were heard in the old district of Bab Sbaa, residents said.
"There are casualties and many people have been arrested. We are very scared," a resident in Homs, who asked to be referred to only by his first name, Ahmed.
A resident in another neighborhood said local hospitals were calling for blood donations after they received wounded people from Bab Sbaa.
"There is heavy military deployment in Homs; military checkpoints are everywhere in the city. There is heavy shooting in Bab Sbaa, one house was burned and the humanitarian conditions are dire," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said in a statement.
An activist in Homs said the army had raided houses in Bab Sbaa. A resident in the city told Reuters by phone that the army fired at worshippers in eastern Khalidiya district as they left Khaled Ibn al-Walid mosque in the early hours of the morning.
Troops besiege Damascus suburb
To the south, loyalist troops commanded by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's brother have surrounded the Damascus suburb of Harasta, residents say.
"Hundreds of Fourth Division troops have sealed off all of Harasta's dozen entrances," said a resident of the conservative Damascus suburb of 150,000 people. "They are wearing combat fatigues, helmets, ammunition belts and carrying assault rifles. Water, electricity and phones have been cut."
The resident, who works as an engineer and managed to leave Harasta, told Reuters by telephone that troops had arrested dozens of people. Activists say hundreds are arrested across Syria every day, with over 12,000 detained since the uprising against Assad's rule autocratic rule began four months ago.
It is hard to verify witness accounts as Syrian authorities have expelled most international media organizations.
Focal point of protests
Homs has been a center of the protests against President Bashar al-Assad's 11-year rule and in support of political freedoms.
Tensions have run high between the majority Sunni inhabitants and members of the Alawite minority, the same sect as Assad, creating fears that a peaceful pro-democracy movement could take a dangerous turn toward a sectarian conflict.
The return of the mutilated bodies of three Alawite men to their relatives had led to fighting between armed residents in Homs this week, the Observatory said Monday.
The total death toll in Homs since the weekend has risen to at least 33, activists and residents said. It is difficult to verify whether people were killed by government forces or feuding residents.
Human rights organizations say at least 1,400 civilians have been killed since the protests against Assad erupted in March.
Syrian authorities blame armed groups with Islamist links for violence across the country and say at least 500 policemen and soldiers have been killed since March.
Assad has responded to protests with a mixture of force and promises of reforms. He sent his troops and tanks to numerous cities and towns to crush protests, and thousands have been arrested.
But Assad has also granted citizenship to tens of thousands of Kurds, lifted the draconian state of emergency, freed hundreds of prisoners and called for a national dialogue.
Troops and tanks first entered Homs, 100 miles north of Damascus, two months ago and occupied the main square after large protests demanding political freedoms.
Western ambassadors warned
Meanwhile, Syrian Foreign Minster Walid Muallem warned the French and American ambassadors against travelling outside Damascus following their visit to Hama in early July, .
"We will impose a ban on any [diplomatic] travel more than 25 kilometers [about 15 miles] outside Damascus, if the ambassadors continue to ignore [our] guidance," al-Jazeera, citing state television, reported Muallem as saying.
"We did not expel the two ambassadors because we had hoped to maintain better relations in future,” Muallem said, according to Al Jazeera.
