The Syrian National Council says Homs is a disaster area and is urging international protection for civilians.
Syrian troops firing machine guns mounted on tanks stormed the rebellious town of Rastan near Homs.
However, some Syrians are noting that Syria's situation is different from Libya's.
Thousands of Syrians turned out to demonstrate after Friday prayers. The UN says as many as 850 people may have been killed in the two-month crackdown. The World's Ben Gilbert updates us on the latest events around Syria.
The BBC's Jim Muir is in Beirut monitoring the events in Syria. "What's escalating is the ferocity of the government's crackdown," says Muir, but there's no sign of them stopping.