Activists have called for mass anti-government protests across Syria on Friday as the army pressed deadly assaults on key flashpoints, DPA reported.
Dubbed "We won't Kneel", the planned protests seek to emphasize that the five-month demonstrations against the government of President Bashar al-Assad are aimed at vindicating Syrians' dignity and freedom, according to online activists.
Since the Muslim holy month of Ramadan started on August 1, pro-democracy protesters have intensified their demonstrations despite a ruthless crackdown by the army and security forces.
Two people were killed by security forces in Idlib near the border with Turkey early on Friday, the broadcaster Al Jazeera quoted witnesses as saying.
Around 24 civilians were killed Thursday in attacks by the Syrian army on several towns and cities, activists said.
The Federation of the Local Coordination Committees of the Syrian Revolution, an opposition group, said that at least 13 people were killed and 40 injured in the town of Qusair in the central region of Homs.
They also reported deaths in other parts of Homs, in the coastal city of Latakia and in Deir al-Zour in north-eastern Syria.
Syria says its clampdown is aimed at armed groups involved in a "foreign conspiracy."
An estimated 1,750 civilians and 406 security personnel have been killed since the protests started in mid-March, the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says.
It is hard to verify these reports, as the authorities have barred most foreign media and international human rights groups from the country.
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