(CNN) -- Syrian tanks stormed the flashpoint city of Hama early Sunday in one of several clashes nationwide that left at least 67 dead and more than 100 injured, human rights groups said.
At least 49 people were killed in Hama and 13 in neighboring Deir Ezzour, the London-based Syrian Observatory of Human Rights told CNN. Two others were killed in Soran, on the outskirts of Hama. And three people were killed in Daraa province, the group said.
The state-run Syrian Arab News Agency said security forces were responding to "armed groups" in Hama who blocked streets with barricades and terrorized citizens by firing from the rooftops of buildings, while human rights groups described the arrival of tanks as a raid on the city.
Two police officers were killed in clashes in Hama, SANA said, and "armed terrorist groups" had taken to the streets in Deir Ezzour, attacking police headquarters and stealing weapons.
"The law-enforcement forces are still pursuing these armed groups and deal with the situation there in suitable ways," the government news agency said.
In Hama, throngs of residents to take to the streets in an attempt to block the tanks, a local activist said. More than 100 were injured in the city, according to the Local Coordination Committees of Syria.
Tanks rolling near the border met fierce resistance from residents, said Omar al Habbal, a member of the committees, an affiliation of groups that reports on protests in the nation.
Violence, protests continue in Syria Gunfire rang through the air for hours, and thick black smoke covered areas where residents reported shelling and civilian casualties, al Habbal said.
"Mosques have been broadcasting repeated chants of 'Allah Akbar' all morning, and everybody is in the street chanting 'the people and the army are one hand,'" al Habbal said.
Local residents reported negotiating with the troops, with protesters standing up on the tanks and cheering "Syria is united!"
CNN could not independently verify the accuracy of the reports.
The raid marks the latest violence as anti-government protesters in the nation have called for a new regime since mid-March. Activists blame the deaths of civilians in demonstrations on security forces, but the government has consistently attributed the violence to "armed groups."
President Bashar al-Assad has drawn criticism at home and abroad for his tough crackdown on the protesters calling for his ouster.
On Sunday British Foreign Secretary William Hague condemned reports of attacks in Hama.
"The attack appears to be part of a coordinated effort across a number of towns in Syria to deter the Syrian people from protesting in advance of Ramadan. The attacks are all the more shocking on the eve of the Muslim holy month," he said in a statement. "President Bashar is mistaken if he believes that oppression and military force will end the crisis in his country. He should stop this assault on his own people now."
Earlier this month, Human Rights Watch said government forces have targeted the city.
"Hama is the latest city to fall victim to President Bashar al-Assad's security forces despite his promises that his government would tolerate peaceful protests," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "Security forces have responded to protests with the brutality that's become familiar over the past several months."
The humanitarian watchdog said earlier this month that the forces raided homes, opened fire and set up checkpoints in and around the restive city, the site of a deadly military clampdown nearly 30 years ago.source CNN
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