Syrian forces killed dozens of protesters on Friday, August 19, despite assurances by President Bashar al-Assad that a crackdown was over, and thousands of people rallied across the Arab nation with renewed vigor demanding political freedoms, Reuters reported.

Activists said at least 34 people, including four children, were shot dead by Assad's forces in the southern province of Deraa, where the uprising against Assad erupted in March, the city of Homs, 165 km (100 miles) north of Damascus, suburbs of the capital and in the ancient desert city of Palmyra.

Activists in Homs early on Saturday reported government forces fired heavy machineguns at a main residential district and residents said they saw military helicopters flying overhead. Firing was concentrated on al-Khalidiya district, the activists said, adding that electricity and land phone lines in the city had been cut after protests on Friday.