Beirut: The Syrian army sent more tanks and reinforcements into Daraa on Wednesday as part of a widening crackdown against opponents of President Bashar Al Assad's authoritarian regime, and gunfire and sporadic explosions were heard in the tense southern city.
In addition to the unrest in Daraa — where the uprising began more than five weeks ago — security forces conducted sweeping arrests and raids elsewhere in the country, residents said.
In focus: Unrest in the Middle East
Witnesses and human rights activists also said the army deployed tanks around the Damascus suburb of Douma and the coastal city of Baniyas, the site of large demonstrations recently.
The crackdown came as opposition figures said their "massive grassroots revolution" will break the regime unless Al Assad leads a transition to democracy.
The statement from an umbrella group of opposition activists in Syria and abroad called the National Initiative for Change said a democratic transition will "safeguard the nation from falling into a period of violence, chaos and civil war."
No alternative
"If the Syrian president does not wish to be recorded in history as a leader of this transition period, there is no alternative left for Syrians except to move forward along the same path as did the Tunisians, Egyptians and Libyans before them," the statement said.
The relentless government throttling of the protest movement showed no sign of letting up.
A vigorous crackdown since mid-March has killed more than 400 people across Syria, with 120 dead just over the weekend. The repression, however, has only emboldened protesters who started their revolt with calls for modest reforms but are now increasingly demanding Al Assad's downfall.
The head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdul Rahman, said the number of civilians killed since the uprising began reached 451. More than 50 soldiers also have been killed, he added.
The international community has stepped up its criticism of the crackdown by the Al Assad regime, with leaders raising the possibility of sanctions.
In Paris, the Foreign Ministry said the European nations of France, Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain have summoned Syrian ambassadors across the continent to condemn the violence against protesters.
The Syrian armed forces said in a statement that army units continued their operations in Daraa and the countryside to chase "extremist terrorist groups".
"If the Syrian president does not wish to be recorded in history as a leader of this transition period, there is no alternative left for Syrians except to move forward along the same path as did the Tunisians, Egyptians and Libyans before them."
