Syrian soldiers opened fire today on tens of thousands of protesters who flooded the streets shouting “We will not kneel!” in a strong show of defiance against President Bashar Assad.

Syrian troops have shot dead two people during military operations in a northern town near the border with Turkey and a suburb of the capital Damascus, activists said today.

SYRIAN security forces have made sweeping arrests, randomly detaining males above the age of 16 in a north-western province.

Syrian security forces have made sweeping arrests, randomly detaining males above the age of 16 in a north-western province, reports say.