At least 10 people have been killed and dozens wounded by Syrian troops shelling parts of the central province of Homs, opposition activists say.
"Dozens of shells fell on the neighbourhoods of Baba Amr and al-Bayyada hitting residential buildings and setting several on fire," said Omar Idlibi, spokesman of the opposition Local Coordination Committee on Monday.
"Ambulances have so far been unable to reach the area to save the wounded because of the intensity of the shelling," he said.
Broadcaster Al Arabiya reported that Syrian army helicopters were also being used in the attack.
Heavy shelling in Homs on Friday and Saturday killed an estimated 260 people.
Meanwhile, the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said army defectors attacked a military post at dawn in the province of Idlib, near the Syrian-Turkish border, killing three officers and capturing 19 soldiers.
Monday's fresh bombardment of Homs comes ahead of a visit to Syria by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Foreign Intelligence Service chief Mikhail Fradkov, who are expected to meet President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on Tuesday.
Russia and China on Saturday vetoed a UN Security Council resolution on Syria which had the support of western and Arab countries.
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