AMMAN: More than 15 Syrian tanks entered Deraa on Saturday and heavy gunfire was heard in the city that is the cradle of a six-week-old uprising against authoritarian rule, witnesses said.
"Since dawn, we've been hearing a heavy exchange of gunfire that is echoing across the city and you do not know what's happening," said Abu Tareq, a resident, told Reuters by phone.
Residents said clashes on Saturday seemed to be concentrated in Deraa's old quarter, situated on a hill near the Jordanian border.
"I saw more than 15 tanks that had entered from the Damascus highway heading in the direction of the Old City," Abu Tareq said.
Syrian tanks and troops first swept into Deraa on Monday to crush pro-democracy protests against Bashar al-Assad that have spread across the Arab country of 20 million people.
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