At least 217 civilians, including women and children, died in a "massacre" by Syrian forces in the central city of Homs, a rights group said Saturday, urging the people to rise up against the regime.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said most of the deaths were caused by mortar fire in the Al Khalidiya district of Homs, which has become a flashpoint of the 10-month revolt against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

"It's a real massacre," the observatory's director Rami Abderrahman told the media, calling for the ‘immediate intervention’ of the Arab League to end the killing.

The Al Jazeera and Al-Arabiya television channels showed images of dozens of bodies on the ground.

Earlier on Friday, thousands of Syrians protested throughout the country, notably in Damascus, to mark the 30th anniversary of the massacre in central Hama in which thousands died when regime forces opened fire to disperse a protest.

News of the latest deaths came as a diplomat in New York said members of the UN Security Council would meet on Saturday morning for a vote on a resolution condemning the violent repression in Syria.

The text is the same as a draft resolution sent to the council's 15 members on Thursday.

It highlights the UN body's support for an Arab League plan for a democratic transition while leaving out explicit references to calls for Assad to step down, the diplomat said Friday.