At least six people were killed, including a young girl, as Syrian forces on Tuesday launched a major assault on Herak, a town in the southern province of Daraa.
The girl was shot dead by a sniper, while at least five soldiers were killed in clashes with members of the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA), the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
“Large military forces, including tanks and armoured troop carriers, launched an assault on Herak. Explosions and heavy machine gun fire were heard,” the Britain-based monitoring group added, citing residents.