- CAIRO: A human rights activist says Syrian security forces have made sweeping arrests after troops in tanks and armored vehicles entered a key oil-industry city on the Mediterranean coast.
The Syrian activist who is getting witness reports said Sunday that at least 250 people were arrested overnight in Banias.
The military entered the city Saturday, taking up position in a hilltop Crusader castle and cutting off power and phone lines. The move against Banias signals an expanding campaign by President Bashar Assad aimed at crushing the country’s seven-week nationwide uprising.
The activist said three more people have been reported dead in Banias since Saturday, bringing the two-day death toll there to six.
The activist declined to be named for safety reasons.
