Syrian rights activists say security forces have opened fire on anti—government protesters in southern Syria, killing at least three people as the government moves to crush a popular nationwide revolt.
President Bashar Assad has dispatched army troops backed by tanks to a cluster of villages near the southern city of Daraa where the uprising against the regime began in mid—March.
Demonstrators took the streets of some of those villages despite the heavy security presence, and activists said on Wednesday that three protesters were killed after forces fired on crowds in the village of Jassem late Tuesday.
The activists spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
More than 750 people have been killed in the crackdown, according to a rights group.
