Activists are accusing Syrian government forces of shelling the central city of Homs, raising new questions about the country's already tenuous cease-fire.
Residents in Homs said the shelling started in the overnight hours and continued into Saturday morning. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said it was still waiting for information about possible casualties.
Word of the shelling comes as the U.N. Security Council is preparing to vote on sending a small team of military observers to Syria to monitor the cease-fire.
The plan up for a vote Saturday calls for the government to withdraw forces from urban areas and end its violent year-old crackdown on dissent. It also calls for rebels to stop fighting.
Brokered by U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan, the truce went into effect Thursday, but it began to show signs of unraveling Friday as Syrian security forces shot and killed at least five protesters. Clashes also erupted near the Turkish border.
Mass opposition protests swelled in several flashpoint areas across Syria. Activists say government forces fired on demonstrators at several locations, including in the protest hub of Hama.
Activist groups and Turkish villagers say Syrian troops and rebel forces clashed near the Turkish border. Some of the fighting was reportedly heavy.
The Syrian government said it would only respond to attacks launched by armed militants. But Hama opposition activist Samir al-Husain told VOA that Friday's shootings in the city were unprovoked.
"There wasn't shooting by the FSA, Free Syrian Army," he said. "There were only peaceful demonstrators coming out after Friday prayer like usual, like every Friday. Once they started chanting against the regime, there was shooting at them."
Western nations have been pushing the Security Council to send two waves of observers to Syria to monitor and enforce the cease-fire. A draft resolution calls for Syria to give the observers full and unimpeded freedom of movement across the country.
It also demands Syria withdraw troops and heavy weapons from population centers.
Sipan Hasan with the Syrian Center for Democracy Support, a Netherlands-based group, said Friday's clashes are no accident on the part of the Syrian army.
"The Syrian regular army is attempting to finish this situation as soon as possible. And they are trying to finish those people. What we have heard is the Syrian army is moved to looking for those groups," said Hasan.
The U.N. says more than 9,000 people have been killed in Syria's unrest over the past year.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.
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