The Syrian army shelled the eastern city of Deir al-Zor on Saturday, killing at least 28 people, opposition activists said.
A source at a hospital in the city said the victims, who included three women and several children, were mostly civilians killed by shelling on their houses in the Old Airport district.
Protests in Syria have escalated into what some are calling a burgeoning civil war. The UN says several thousand people have died since the uprising began in March last year. The government blames "terrorists" and "armed gangs" for the unrest and says more than 2,500 members of its security forces have been killed.
