The Syrian army killed at least 33 civilians today, including 18 in the southern city of Daraa, while three soldiers died in clashes in northern Syria, a monitoring group said.
Nine women and three children were among the 18 killed in a pre-dawn bombardment of a residential neighbourhood of Daraa, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Dozens more were wounded, some of them seriously, in the city which was the birthplace of the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad's rule that erupted in March 2011, the British-based watchdog said.
Also in Daraa province, security forces opened fire in a raid on the village of Abtaa, wounding a number of people and making nine arrests, according to the Observatory.
In Homs government forces pounded the rebel-held Khaldiyeh, Jouret al-Shiyah, Al-Karabis and Qusayr districts with artillery and mortar fire in an bid to regain control.
Six people were killed in the bombardment, the watchdog said.
Reports from Syria cannot be independently verified as the Syrian government has banned foreign media.
Elsewhere in the province, "the town of Talbisseh was shelled by regime forces, which had suffered losses several days before when rebels took control of their checkpoints in the town," it said.
In the northern province of Aleppo, three regime troops were killed in clashes in the town of Andan, which was shelled.
Also in Aleppo, regime forces bombarded the towns of Hayyan and Beyanoun, killing one civilian and wounding four others.
In Latakia province on the Mediterranean, two civilians were killed in regime shelling of the city of Al-Heffa and neighbouring villages, on the fourth day of an operation to retake control of the areas, the Observatory reported.
"Al-Heffa is a Sunni town, in a mixed Sunni and Alawite region," Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said.
A total of 46 soldiers, 16 civilians and 18 rebel fighters have been killed in the assault on Al-Heffa, according to the watchdog.
Syrian state television blamed the violence on "armed terrorist groups."
More than 13,500 people have been killed across Syria since the uprising broke out, according to the Observatory's figures.
Russia rules out military intervention in Syria
Russia will not oppose the departure of Mr Assad if that is the result of a dialogue between Syrians themselves and is not imposed from outside, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said today.
Mr Lavrov was speaking one day after his deputies held consultations with US special envoy Fred Hof in Moscow to push for a political transition in Syria that would see Mr Assad leave power.
"If the Syrians agree [about Assad's departure] between each other, we will only be happy to support such a solution," Mr Lavrov told reporters.
"But we believe it is unacceptable to impose the conditions for such a dialogue from outside."
