The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 35 civilians were killed in military operations in the central provinces of Hama and Homs, as well as in Idlib province in the northwest and in Daraa in the south.

Fierce clashes also killed 18 soldiers and nine army deserters across the country, the Britain-based Observatory said.

Monitors say more than 9,100 people have been killed in a revolt against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that started with peaceful protests before turning into an increasingly armed revolt, faced with a brutal crackdown costing dozens of lives each day.