Syrian security forces have carried out another wave of arrests in Daraa and have been detaining all men over 15, residents said today.Authorities moved into central Syria and coastal areas before Friday prayers in a test of will for demonstrators determined to maintain protests against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad.
In a show of force, tanks have taken up positions near the urban centres of Homs, Rastan and Banias in the past two days.
Further protests across the country were expected today as part of the nation's Martyr's Day.
Last week, Assad ordered the army into Daraa, the centre of the uprising that began with demands for greater freedom and an end to corruption and is now pressing for his removal.
Estimates have suggested over 500 Syrians have been killed and a further 2,500 detained during the protests.
Reports have also claimed Syrian security forces have been washing blood from the streets ahead of a planned visit by a UN human rights delegation.
An ultra-loyalist division led by President al-Assad's brother Maher shelled and machinegunned Deraa's old quarter on Saturday, residents said.
Syrian authorities said on Thursday the army had begun to leave Daraa, but residents described a city still under siege. Read More
