Dozens of people have been reported killed since the weekend in a restive Syrian city where witnesses and activists reported intense shooting overnight.

Syrian rights activist Mustafa Osso said security forces killed 10 people in Homs last night as part of a crackdown on the four-month-old uprising in Syria. He said another four were killed elsewhere in the province.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and Homs activist Mohammed Saleh said a wave of sectarian fighting killed up to 30 people there over the weekend. Both said they have the names of the victims.

But other activists said the toll was lower and blamed security forces.

Syria has banned independent media coverage, making it difficult to confirm accounts from the ground.