Heavy violence on Saturday wasn't limited to Aleppo. The LCC said at least 34 people died in violence across Damascus and its suburbs, and others died in Idlib, Deir Ezzor and Hama provinces. Syrian state-run media alluded to a possible showdown in Hama province.

"In a response to the constant pleas of the residents in the area, a unit from our armed forces started to cleanse Karnaz town in Hama from the armed terrorist gangs," Syrian state TV reported. The Syrian government has blamed violence in the country on vaguely defined armed terrorist gangs.

Fighting over the Syrian issue flared across the border in the Lebanese city of Tripoli on Saturday.

At least 12 people were injured in clashes between Alawites and Sunnis. In Syria, Alawites, an offshoot of Shiism, dominate al-Assad's regime. While Sunnis have a significant presence in the Syrian regime, they are also dominant in the opposition movement.

Friends of al-Assad's regime signaled their support for the embattled regime.

Iran's energy minister, Majid Namjou, vowed his government "will not leave Syria alone in such a difficult situation," according to state-run Press TV.

The report said the two nations signed a deal Thursday to expand sharing of electricity and water, with Namjou saying Iranian firms are ready to rebuild damaged power plants.

A.K. Lukashevich, the Russian foreign ministry spokesman, on Saturday reiterated his country's opposition to unilateral sanctions on Syria and won't agree to inspections of ships sailing under the Russia flag.

Russia has been a longtime arms supplier to Syria, but it has said it will not deliver new weapons to Syria as long as the situation there is unstable. Lukashevich made the remarks after the latest round of European Union sanctions against the al-Assad regime.

The civil war is making an impact on foreign entities based in Syria.

Poland has closed its embassy in Damascus and evacuated its diplomats because of the bad security situation, the Foreign Ministry said Friday.

Navy Chief Vice Adm. Viktor Chirkov said Saturday that personnel at the Russian naval base in the Syrian port of Tartus may be evacuated if it comes under attack, RIA Novosti reported. He said the base is needed for maintenance and technical support to Russian warships in the Mediterranean Sea and for crafts on anti-piracy missions.

Syria has faced high-level diplomatic and military defections in recent months.

The latest is Farouq Taha, the Syrian ambassador to Belarus. He confirmed the move on Al-Jazeera TV on Saturday.