Syrian forces have started Tuesday, Dec 13 mass attacks against army defectors and pro-democracy activists in the restive provinces of Homs and Idlib, an army defector by the name of Ahmed Khalaf stated.

"We killed seven security forces in an ambush near Idlib and our forces have suffered more than ten fatalities, 20 others were wounded in the ongoing clashes," Khalaf said from the northern Idlib province.

"The regime is carrying out open warfare," he said.

Meanwhile, the the state-run agency SANA reported on Tuesday that Syrian border guards killed two armed "terrorists" who were attempting to infiltrate the country from across the border with Turkey.

"Border guard forces in Idlib province foiled an infiltration attempt by an armed terrorist group into the Syrian lands through Ain al-Baida site of Badama," according to the report.

The guards clashed with a group of 15 in total, killing two and wounding the others.

More than 5,000 people have been killed in nine months of unrest in Syria, according to the latest United Nations figures.

The latest figure reported to the UN Security Council by Navi Pillay is 1,000 higher than the one she announced just 10 days ago. Since Monday alone, activists have reported 20 people killed in clashes in Syria's northwest, Haaretz reported.