Hundreds of Syrian troops backed by armour early Monday have moved into the flashpoint southern Syrian town of Deraa where heavy shooting was heard, according to witnesses on the scene.

„Hundreds of security service men entered the town, accompanied by tanks and armoured vehicles,“ Abdullah Al-Harriri, an activist, told the AFP news agency in Nicosia by telephone.

„The men are firing in all directions and advancing behind the armour which is protecting them,“ he added.
„Electricity is cut off and telephone communications are virtually impossible,“ he said.

Footage aired on the opposition news organisation on Monday, transmitted via satellite, appeared to show Syrian military firing at unseen targets with sniper rifles.