Hundreds of army defectors in southern Syria have fought with tank-backed forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad in one of the biggest armed confrontations in the country's nine-month uprising against the government.<br /><br />Troops, mainly from the 12th Armoured Brigade, based in Isra, 40km from the border with Jordan, have stormed the nearby town of Busra al-Harir.<br /><br />The sound of explosions and heavy machine guns was heard in Busra al-Harir and in Lujah, an area of rocky hills north of the town, where defectors have been hiding and attacking military supply lines.<br /><br />Earlier on Sunday, activists across the country launched a general strike to step up pressure on the country's government to end its deadly crackdown. <br /><br />Al Jazeera's Nisreen El-Shamayleh reports from Jordan, near the border with Syria.<br /><br />Read Al Jazeera's article: http://aje.me/tcqSHO
