At least 25 protestors were killed in Syrian city of Daraa, after army units bombarded the town with heavy artillery on Monday.

Representatives of the opposition reported tanks and snipers advanced in the city.

Relatives and friends were not able to approach the dead bodies because of incessant shelling. They managed to take only seven bodies in the evening, Lenta.ru reports.

Syrian authorities claimed that troops were introduced “in response to a request from citizens”. Residents of the city asked to “liberate them from the extremist terrorist groups,” a senior military official said in a televised statement.