Dozens of people are reported to have been killed in Syria as security forces use live ammunition and tear gas to quell anti-government protests across the country.

Activists sent a list naming 43 people from across the country who they said had been killed by security forces during the "Great Friday" protests.

Fifteen of the deaths took place in Izraa, near the flashpoint southern town of Daraa, according to the list. One person was killed in Damascus, where security forces also fired tear gas to disperse protesters, other sources confirmed.

This was the first death at the hands of security forces in the capital since the uprising against the government of Bashar al-Assad began.

Deaths were also reported in the Damascus suburb of Douma, in Homs, Syria's third largest city, in Daraa and other towns.

The protesters took to the streets to mark what activists dubbed "Great Friday" - protests that could turn out to be the biggest against the government to date.

Al Jazeera's Rula Amin reported from Damascus, which until now was relatively calm, that the level of tension in the city on Friday marked a new point in the uprising.