World Bulletin / News Desk

Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Sunday that death toll rose to 33 in the ongoing operations in the country.

Turkey's Anadolu news agency quoted the London-based observatory as saying that "33 people were killed in operations of security forces in Homs, Damascus, Hama, Aleppo, Idlib, Daraa, and Deir Ez-Zor."

Local opponents said that blasts and gunshots were heard from several parts of Idlib and Damascus.

UN-Arab League Special Envoy to Syria Kofi Annan presented a peace plan last month. The six-point peace plan includes demands for a ceasefire, the immediate withdrawal of heavy armor from residential areas and access for humanitarian aid.

The plan was presented to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on March 10 and accepted by him on March 27.

The ceasefire came into effect on April 12, but although the overall level of violence has dropped since then, al-Assad's government has been accused of failing to abide by key terms of the truce plan, including pulling all forces from urban areas and allowing peaceful demonstrations.

The UN currently has 11 unarmed observers under its Supervision Mission to Syria (UNSMIS). The UN passed a resolution on April 14 for a total of 30 observers, then another resolution to increase the number to 300.

The UN says about 9,000 people have died in Syria since pro-democracy protests began in March 2011.