Syrian army raids reach Damascus

Protesters gather in the coastal city of Baniyas on Wednesday

Hundreds of Syrian troops have stormed the Damascus suburb of Saqba overnight – breaking into houses and making many arrests, witnesses say.

Saqba was the scene of a big, peaceful protest against the regime last week.

Tanks and troops are also reported to have been sent to other trouble spots, amid fresh reports of anti-government demonstrations in Homs and Hama.

More than 500 Syrians are though to have been killed since the protests started seven weeks ago.

At least 2,500 others have been detained around the country in recent weeks, although rights groups say the figure could be much higher.

Foreign journalists are not allowed to enter the country, so it is difficult to verify the reports.

The protests, which began on 15 March, pose the most serious challenge to four decades of rule by the Assad family in one of the Arab world’s most repressive countries.

The authorities seem to be going all out to prevent another big protest after Friday prayers, says the BBC’s Jim Muir, reporting from the Lebanese capital, Beirut.

But the protests are continuing despite the crackdown. This week, protesters have called for a “Friday of Defiance” all across the country.

Here are some of the latest developments:

In Douma, there were reports that “thugs” and security forces had raided two hospitals – Hamdan and Noor. They allegedly destroyed medical equipment and beat some doctors and patients before arresting about 10 people.Deraya, meanwhile, was reportedly still under siege, but some 300 protesters defied the security forces to stage a brief rally calling for freedomElsewhere in the country, troops and tanks are reported to have been sent to the town of Rastan near the central city of Homs, and Baniyas on the coast.

Deraa, the southern city where the protests began in March, has been under siege for about 10 days but army units have begun a “gradual withdrawal”, a Syrian military official was quoted as saying on state news agency Sana.

The military official said the army had completed its mission to “chase elements of terrorist groups… and to restore security, peace and stability”.

Since the weekend, almost 1,000 men have reportedly been rounded up in Deraa alone.

Rights groups say that security officials conduct house-to-house raids, carrying lists of wanted people. If they do not find those listed, they arrest relatives and family members instead.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called on President Bashar al-Assad to end a six-week clampdown on opposition supporters.

The US has denounced the crackdown as “barbaric” and tightened its sanctions against senior Syrian officials.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.