Dubai: France called on world powers to "save the Syrian people" yesterday as it joined the US and Britain in raising an alarm that President Bashar Al Assad's forces may be about to storm the rebel stronghold of Homs.

In Damascus, the government denied any crackdown, while accusing its opponents of taking up arms and warning the rebels' supporters in the West that Syria could count on Russia, China and others to oppose any foreign intervention in its affairs.

"France is extremely concerned about information of a massive military operation being prepared by Syrian security authorities against the city of Homs," French Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said, echoing concerns raised in Washington, London and neighbouring Turkey.

As international pressure mounted on Syria to allow monitors into the country security forces fired on protesters killing at least 50 people during the past 24 hours.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 41 civilians, including seven children, were shot dead by Syrian security forces in the capital Damascus and the restive central city of Homs on Friday, while nine civilians were killed yesterday.

Activists called for a campaign of civil disobedience from today, the first day of the working week in Syria, with sit-ins at work, the closure of shops, universities and later a general strike.

The UN Security Council agreed on Friday to France's request for a briefing on Syria's crackdown on civilian rights from the UN human rights chief, overcoming resistance from Russia, China and Brazil, Western envoys said.

Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, president of the Security Council this month, said Navi Pillay's closed-door briefing would probably take place tomorrow. He dismissed suggestions from Western envoys that Russia had opposed the briefing, although he acknowledged Moscow and others had reservations.

Meanwhile, Arab League foreign ministers will meet in Cairo at the end of this week to discuss the situation in Syria, Egypt's Mena news agency quoted a League official as saying yesterday.

The ministers will discuss their response to Damascus' conditional agreement to allow League monitors into Syria.

Wind of history

In Oslo, the head of the Nobel Peace Prize selection panel said yesterday Al Assad would succumb to a "wind of history" blowing through the Arab world and be forced to accept democratic change. Awarding this year's prizes in Oslo to three women who include a Yemeni activist whose Arab spring protests helped undermine her country's veteran leader, Thorbjoern Jagland said.

West urged to do more

One of the three women sharing the Nobel Peace Prize yesterday lambasted the international community for not backing revolution in her native Yemen and said Arab despots who turn against their own people should not receive immunity.

Accepting the 2011 award, Yemeni activist Tawakul Karman called on the western world to support the revolutions that swept through the Arab world this year and keep faith with democratic change that was both difficult and inevitable.

"The democratic world, which has told us a lot about the virtues of democracy and good governance, should not be indifferent to what is happening in Yemen and Syria," said Tawakul.

—With inputs from Reuters