The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the arrests occurred early Tuesday in several Damascus suburbs and in a northern coastal city of Jableh. SOHR's chief Rami Abdul-Rahman didn't provide a precise figure.

The arrests follow Monday's raids on Daraa, where the uprising started last month. At least 11 died there Monday. The raids reflect the regime's effort to impose military control on the centers of the protests.

Abdul-Rahman says phone lines with Daraa have been cut.

Rights groups say the crackdown since mid-March has killed more than 350 people in Syria.