Beirut — A Syrian activist says the army is conducting raids and house arrests in cities and towns across the nation, picking up scores of people in an attempt to crush the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad's regime.
Human rights activist Mustafa Osso says the army brought reinforcements Monday to the western city of Zabadani near the Lebanese border and was surrounding the area.
Osso says there's heavy army presence and door-to-door raids also in the northern cities of Raqqa and Idlib.
Rights groups say at least 545 Syrians have been killed since authorities cracked down on the uprising that started in mid-March.
The National Organization for Human Rights in Syria and five other rights group issued a statement condemning the arrests.
