Syrian forces shot dead at least four civilians on Sunday in a continued military assault on the city of Homs and in an attack on pro-democracy demonstrations that erupted after prayers marking the main Muslim feast, an activist group said.

Three people were killed in the central city of Homs, where a main district has been under tank bombardment since Tuesday. One protester was shot dead when security police fired on a demonstration demanding the removal of President Bashar al-Assad in the city of Hama to the north, the Syrian Revolution General Commission (SRGC) said.