A Syrian army assault killed more than 100 civilians, including women and children, on farmland on the outskirts of the central city of Homs, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Thursday.
It said the attack took place on Tuesday.
“The Syrian regime carried out a new massacre on Tuesday claiming 106 victims, including women and children,” in an assault lasting 24 hours around Homs, said the watchdog which relies on a network of activists and medics.
The killings took place in farmlands in an area between a military academy, an army checkpoint and an industrial district north of Homs, the Britain-based Observatory said.
The Observatory said the area had become a refuge for around 1,000 people who fled fighting in the city of Homs, where regime forces and rebels have been battling for dominance for months.
It quoted witnesses as saying that among those killed were families who died in fires that raged through their homes and others – including three children from a group of 14 family members – killed in cold blood.