Activists: 24 Demonstrators Killed by Assad Regime in Latest Protests

Activists said Saturday that at least 24 Syrian civilians have been killed as security forces fired on anti-government protesters as part of a nationwide crackdown.

Syria-based rights activist Mustafa Osso said most of the deaths occurred in Damascus suburbs during daytime Friday protests and late night demonstrations following evening Ramadan prayers.

He said five civilians were killed in the besieged city of Hama and its surrounding countryside.

The toll was confirmed by the Local Coordination Committees, a key activist groups tracking the Syrian uprising.

The state TV has broadcast images of burned buildings and empty rubble-strewn streets in Hama, the epicenter of the protests, claiming the military was putting an end to the rebellion in the city.