Activists say dozens were killed
At least 15 people are known to have died in
clashes between security forces and protesters in Syria on Wednesday,
medical officials and activists say.
Witnesses said security forces opened fire on protesters three times, including once at a funeral.
Most shops and businesses are said to be closed in Deraa, with a heavy security presence around the city.
Activists have been using social-networking websites to call for nationwide protests after Friday prayers.
There are reports of mass arrests as the government of President Bashar al-Assad seeks to quell the unrest.
Analysts say the unrest is the biggest challenge Mr Assad has faced since taking over from his father in 2000.
Graffiti arrests
Clashes erupted in the early hours of Wednesday, when security forces tried to storm the Omari mosque, which has been the focal point of protests.
The authorities said in a statement they were targeting armed gangs which “stocked weapons and ammunition in the mosque and kidnapped children and used them as human shields”.
Hundreds of people had gathered at the mosque to try to prevent security forces from getting in.
Reports say several people were killed in subsequent clashes, including a medical worker who was treating an injured protester.
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The BBC’s Lina Sinjab is one of the few journalists to reach Deraa
Activists say more people were killed when security forces opened fire on crowds of mourners at the funeral of some of those killed at the mosque.
The worst violence was said to have happened in the early evening, when crowds of protesters from surrounding villages tried to get into the city to demonstrate.
Witnesses and activists told reporters that security forces opened fire indiscriminately.
It was not immediately clear how many people had died.
On Thursday, a hospital official in Deraa told Reuters news agency they had received 25 bodies, adding: “They all had bullet holes.”
Rights activists supplied the BBC with a list of 45 people they said had been killed in the unrest.
The BBC’s Lina Sinjab in Damascus says the number of dead is difficult to verify because some of the protesters could have been taken to hospitals in other towns and cities.
Syria has been ruled under emergency laws since 1963, and the government tolerates no dissent.
Unrest broke out last Friday in Deraa when locals campaigned against the detention of 15 children, held apparently for daubing anti-government slogans on walls.
The authorities opened fire on the protesters, sparking more radical protests calling for political reform on the following days.
If confirmed, Wednesday’s violence would be the worst since the protests began.
The government has consistently denied the numbers of casualties claimed by witnesses and activists.
The authorities have claimed to be targeting “infiltrators” and “troublemakers” trying to spread fear among the population.
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