Friday\'s death toll at 17 Syria has agreed in \'principle\' a senior Arab League mission into the country to try to help end the bloodshed, sources have told news agencies. Damascus is supposedly willing to allow an observer mission but refusing to allow members of human rights groups.
A source told Sky news: \"It has taken 36 hours of frantic discussions between Damascus and the Arab League to reach this agreement.
\"The deadline by the Arab League is Saturday. Syria is confident it has fulfilled all demands by the Arab League and is ready to sign as soon as the Arab League are ready.\"
Syria witnessed its largest demonstrations in months as thousands of people asked for foreign governments to recall their ambassadors in protest of embattled president Bashar Al-Assad\'s crackdown. The largest demonstration was reportedly in Idleb province, while in Deraa held staged a mock hanging of president Assad.
The Local Co-ordination Committees in Syria said Friday that 17 people, including four children, have been killed so far by the government\'s security forces.
Seven people are said to have died in Deraa, three in Hama, two in the Damacus suburb of Erbeen, one in Yabroud and two in Homs. In Erbeen a video clip showed the dead bodies of two protesters face down in the road.
New figures by the Violation Documentation Centre, an Arabic website set up by activists to count and identify the dead, named five people killed today. Since the uprising began in March it says 4,368 people have been killed, including 746 soldiers, and 277 children.
That is almost 900 deaths higher than the U.N.\'s estimate of 3,500.
After performing the Friday Prayers at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, thousands of prayers went out on a rally titled \'The Mosques Are Ours\' to express rejection of the Arab League decision to suspend Syria\'s membership and their support to Syria\'s national independent and sovereign decision.
The 22-member Arab League suspended Syria earlier this week, giving Syrian president Bashar al Assad three days to halt the violence and allow in observers to monitor the situation.
It also pledged to introduce economic sanctions if the deadline is not met.
Several cars also set off from al-Hassan Mosque in al-Midan neighborhood on a rally in rejection of foreign interference in the Syrian internal affairs and support to the reform programme going on in the country.
Masses gathered in Saba\' Bahrat Square chanting slogans against the League\'s decision on Syria and foreign interference, expressing support to their country\'s national independent decision.
In the coastal city of Lattakia, thousands of citizens voluntarily gathered near Haroun roundabout condemning the AL decision against Syria.
Meanwhile, The Free Syrian Army (FSA) issued a video statement to explain its Wednesday attack on an Air Force intelligence base in Harasta.
The statement said: \"This is a response to exaggerated propaganda about a sophisticated operation against the air force intelligence base. This branch of the intelligence services has killed many defectors and civilians who have been arrested. It practises the most vile types of torture.
During our raid we found Iranians who are helping officers of the branch with their expertise. They [the Iranians] are providing them with logistical support to oppress the people\'s revolution. This is a criminal act by the regime and a country that supports the regime. It is a blatant interference in our country which we will not keep silent about.
That is why we decided to attack this branch. Even though the attack was only partially successful, we were able to free some of the detainees, military and civilians, thanks be to God.
We consider this and other branches a legitimate target, because we are military people and this is our duty. It is an accordance with international law and contrary to what the regime is doing by targeting civilian districts and unarmed protesters. Our people are looking to the free civilized world and won\'t wait for help from dictators. We as a Free Syrian Army make a pledge to God that we will sacrifice our blood for the freedom of our people and their dignity. We will attack the criminals of the Assad regime with an iron fist, and we and our people will topple Bashar al-Assadwith the help of God.\"
French foreign minister Alain Juppe has urged the UN Security Council to act against Syria and said France was ready for tougher sanctions to be imposed on the Assad regime. Germany, France, the UK and four other Arab countries have tabled a new UN resolution calling for an end to human rights violations in Syria, the BBC reported, while Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin said the council should be restrained in drafting any resolution condemning the crackdown. The UK is set to appoint a senior diplomat to liaise with the Syrian opposition.