Syrian forces backed by tanks shelled parts of Deraa and stormed a mosque today in an attempt to quell an uprising against President Bashar al-Assad, according to local reports.
Troops and tanks first swept into Deraa on Monday to crush pro-democracy protests against Mr Assad that have spread across the country of 20 million, posing the biggest challenge to his rule and prompting Western powers to impose sanctions.
A resident said Karak, a hilltop in Deraa's old quarter, bore the brunt of the shelling. Mr Assad's brother, Maher, commands the Fourth Mechanised Division which stormed the city on Monday.
"The shelling has stopped. There are snipers on the roof of the mosque," he said, adding that forces appeared to be in control of the old quarter for the first time.
Residents said earlier they could hear heavy gunfire in the old city where the Omari Mosque, a focal point for protests, is located.
"It looks like they (security forces) want to finish their campaign today. From the new tank deployments, it looks as though they are intensifying their operations today," resident Abu Ahmad told Reuters.
Deraa, a city near the border with Jordan with a population of 120,000, is the cradle of a six-week-old uprising which began with demands for more freedom and an end to corruption.
It developed into a movement to overthrow Mr Assad following a violent state crackdown, in which a Syrian rights group said at least 500 people have been killed.
Despite the heavy military deployments and mass arrests, demonstrators again took to the streets calling for Assad's overthrow on Friday. His Baath Party has been in power in Syria since 1963, banning any opposition.
Soldiers in Deraa killed 19 people yesterday when they fired on protesters who were trying to enter the city from nearby villages in a show of solidarity, a medical source said. Syrian rights groups put the death toll at 62.
The crackdown prompted Western powers to take their first concrete steps in punishing Syria for the bloodshed. Washington imposed new sanctions on government figures, including Mr Assad's brother, Maher, and cousin, Atif Najib.
European Union diplomats said they reached an initial deal to impose an arms embargo and would consider further measures.
"We will continue to work with our partners to ensure that those responsible for the violence are held personally to account," British Foreign Secretary William Hague said.
Reuters