Syrian protesters “shot dead” following Eid prayers

Activists in Syria say security forces shot dead at least seven protesters after morning prayers on Tuesday — the day of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan.

Media reports said anti-government demonstrations broke out across the country, including in the suburbs of the capital, Damascus.

The Local Co-ordination Committees activist network said that most of those killed were in the south, near Deraa, where a "huge" protest was formed as worshippers emerged from the al-Omari mosque.

Another person died in central Homs. Al Jazeera said that security forces also reportedly opened fire on protesters in the town of Deir ez-Zor.

The demonstrators have been demanding the resignation of President Bashar al-Assad and his government since March.

(GlobalPost in photos: Syrian protesters and their supporters)

State television showed Assad attending prayers in a Damascus mosque, and enjoying coffee and cake, the BBC reported.

The network also said that protests took place around Syrian cemeteries, where it is customary to visit graves during Eid.

Tuesday's violence comes after security forces reportedly killed at least eight people a day earlier.

Also on Monday, U.N. Security Council ambassadors met in New York to discuss two different U.N. draft resolutions on Syria.

Russia introduced a resolution on Friday that called for Assad's government to halt its crackdown protesters and initiate reforms.

The document did not mention the sanctions sought by the U.S. and European nations earlier this month.

The U.N. has previously said that Assad's regime could be guilty of crimes against humanity.

It estimates that more than 2,200 people have been killed in the government's crackdown on protests.