The besieged people of Daraa braved sniper fire to pull the bullet-riddled bodies of their dead from the streets today.

Dozens of Syrians were arrested in a series of security swoops across the country today, hours after the army smashed through a city at the centre of the uprising against President Bashar Assad.

The White House has said it is considering sanctions against the Syrian regime, after the latest security crackdown against anti-government protestors.