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.

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.

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.

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.

Al Jazeera's Nisreen El-Shamayleh reports from Jordan, near the border with Syria.

Read Al Jazeera's article: http://aje.me/tcqSHO