Thousands of Syrians have poured into the streets calling for the downfall of the president, Bashar al-Assad, and expressing support for army defectors fighting the regime, activists say.
The protests came as the UN's top human rights official urged the international community to take "immediate measures" to protect civilians in Syria.
The country's protest movement gave its most explicit show of support so far to army defectors who have reportedly clashed with loyalists in northern and central Syria in an increasing militarisation of the seven-month uprising.
The Syria-based activist Mustafa Osso and the Local Co-ordination Committees, an activist group, said the protests had spread from the suburbs of the capital, Damascus, to the southern province of Deraa, the northern provinces of Aleppo, Idlib and Hassakeh, and the central regions of Homs and Hama, as well as to other areas.
The opposition had called for protests after Friday prayers in support of the "free officers", in reference to army defectors who have been fighting regime troops over the past weeks. Clashes between troops and gunmen believed to be defectors left at least 25 people dead on Thursday, according to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
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