Syrian forces launched a fresh assault on Homs today as the Red Cross pressed forward with efforts to deliver badly needed aid to thousands of people stranded in a besieged neighbourhood despite warnings from regime troops of land mines and booby traps.

Troops are shelling several districts in the rebellious central Syrian city of Homs where the government is keeping a Red Cross convoy blocked from reaching thousands stranded in the area, activists have said.

ARAB League monitors investigated activist claims that government troops in Hama fired at thousands of unarmed protesters and killed at least six.

Gunfire and explosions erupted in the city at the heart of Syria’s anti-government uprising today as soldiers launched a massive crackdown, witnesses said.

SYRIAN forces shot dead as many as 24 protesters as tens of thousands called on President Bashar al-Assad to step down in some of the biggest demonstrations since the uprising began in March.