Protesters reported that Syrian troops had stormed the coastal city of Baniyas overnight in an attempt to halt demonstrations that began after Friday prayers.

Early Saturday, protesters said civilians were forming human shields downtown and in neighborhoods to the north, south and southeast of the Al Marqab Castle, although the reports could not be independently verified.

"There are gunboats spotted off the coast, we can hear heavy gunfire. The land line and cellular connections have been out since dawn, and power outages are spreading," protesters said via email.

Protesters said they feared the military mobilization would turn into a repeat of the army's response in the southern city of Dara, which has been besieged since the start of the six-week uprising.

Military units entered the coastal city, whose residents are mostly Sunni Muslim, from three directions overnight, focusing on Sunni and not Alawite neighborhoods, a human rights activist told Reuters.