Clashes in Syria on Thursday killed nearly 170 people, mainly civilians, on the deadliest day since a ceasefire came into force, according to a human rights group.
The Assad regime has continued its bombardment of Homs despite international outcry.
"It's the bloodiest day since the start of the ceasefire (on April 12) and one of the bloodiest since the start of the revolt against the Syrian regime," Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.
The day's violence had killed at least 104 civilians, 54 soldiers and 10 rebel fighters, according to the toll compiled by the London-based organisation, based on the reports of activists inside the country.
The heaviest losses were in the central region of Homs, where 31 civilians and a rebel fighter died; and in the opposition bastion of Douma, near Damascus, where 30 civilians died.
In the southern region of Deraa, 24 civilians - including two children - and five rebels were killed.
Those killed elsewhere in Syria included a young girl, who died in the northwestern city of Idlib, the Observatory added.
More than 15,000 people have been killed since the revolt against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime began in March 2011, according to the Observatory.
Earlier in the day, a Syrian fighter pilot on a training mission flew his MiG-21 warplane to neighboring Jordan, where he was given asylum. The defection from the fiercely loyal air force could signals some of the most ironclad allegiances in Damascus are fraying. Syria immediately denounced the pilot as a traitor.
The brazen move was a clear triumph for the rebels fighting to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad and was the first defection by an air force officer with his plane since the uprising began in March 2011.
The pilot, identified as Colonel Hassan Hammadeh, removed his air force tag and knelt on the tarmac in prayer after landing at King Hussein Air Base in Mafraq, Jordan, 45 miles north of Amman, a Jordanian security official said.
Col Hammadeh will be allowed to stay in Jordan on "humanitarian grounds," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.
"He was given asylum because if he returned home, his safety will not be guaranteed. He may tortured or killed," the official said. He declined to say what Jordan will do with the jet.
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