BEIRUT, Lebanon — As Syrian government forces pressed their counteroffensive on the outskirts of Damascus and a car bomb exploded in the central city of Homs, merchants around the country closed their shops over the weekend in response to a call for peaceful protest, suggesting that the civil disobedience movement, though overshadowed lately by intense fighting, still has the ability to mobilize Syrians.

On Saturday, usually a busy shopping day, rows of shops were closed in towns north and south of Damascus, the capital; in the southern city of Dara’a; in Hama in the north; and along major streets in Raqqa, an eastern city, video uploaded to the Web by government opponents showed.

The protest took place despite more than two days of Internet failures that slowed the spread of the call for action. Called the “Strike of Pride,” it was announced on Facebook and other social media sites beginning a week ago, as well as by activists who dropped leaflets and spray-painted the news on walls.

An organizer wrote in one announcement that although some have questioned the effectiveness of the nonviolent struggle, “I think it can express the pain of the entire Syrian people.”