At least 9 killed in Syria as opposition calls for general strike.

At least nine people were killed on Sunday in Syria, as a general strike began in several areas and activists called on people to join them in defiance of the government's crackdown on pro-democracy protesters.

The Local Coordination Committees in Syria, an online group of activists who document anti-government protests, said that two people were shot dead in each of the northern province of Idlib and in the central Homs.

Another four were killed in the central Hama province and one was killed in the southern Daraa province, BBC reported.

Heavy clashes erupted between government troops and army defectors in Daraa, injuring several people and destroying three tanks.

Increasing clashes between defectors and regular army forces might take Syria into a civil war, observers have warned.

The U.S., the European Union and the Arab League have increased pressure on President Bashar Assad to end violence in the country.

The United Nations says that at least 4,000 people have been killed in the government crackdown on protests calling for the ouster of Assad that started in March.
The government has blamed the uprising against Assad on armed gangs financed by Arab and Western countries.