Arab governments have been urged to take the lead in helping to protect innocent civilians in Syria even as the UN warned of a 'full-blown civil war.'

A major rally was held in Bahrain on Friday to show solidarity with 'their Syrian brothers and sisters.' The rally came on a day the GCC called for an urgent meeting tomorrow of the Arab League to discuss the crisis in Syria.

More than 1,000 people gathered in Buhair and raised slogans against the Syrian government, accusing it of 'murdering civilians'.

The rally also called on the GCC to recognise the opposition in Syria and urged Bahrainis to boycott Russian and Chinese goods.

Both veto-holding UN Security Council members recently blocked action against the Syrian government.

Thousands of Syrian protesters called on soldiers to abandon President Bashar Al Assad's regime and join the dissident army, as the top UN human rights official warned of a 'full-blown civil war' in Syria, saying the death toll in the seven-month crackdown has passed 3,000.

Security forces opened fire at protesters, killing at least 11, including a 14-year-old boy.

The protests, held in the southern village of Dael, where most of the deaths occurred yesterday, were the most explicit show of support so far by the country's protest movement for the defectors.

Arab League officials said Arab foreign ministers will meet in Cairo to discuss the situation in Syria after a request for an emergency meeting by the GCC.

Several Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, have pulled their ambassadors out of Syria to protest the government's brutal crackdown on the protest movement.