Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has told a British newspaper that his government will continue to take action against opposition protesters and will not bow to mounting international pressure to end the months-long crackdown that has left thousands dead.

"The conflict will continue and the pressure to subjugate Syria will continue," Assad told the Sunday Times in an interview published late on Saturday.

"I assure you that Syria will not bow down and that it will continue to resist the pressure being imposed on it."

Assad again repeated his assertion that any international military action taken against Syria would create an "earthquake" across the Middle East.

"If they are logical, rational and realistic, they shouldn't do it because the repercussions are very dire. Military intervention will destabilize the region as a whole, and all countries will be affected," he said.

Meanwhile, violence continued across Syria, as an Arab league deadline for the government to end the crackdown on anti-government protesters expired on Saturday night.

The deadline was set by the 22-member bloc a day after Syrian security forces killed at least 17 civilians, including two children.

Members of the self-styled Free Syrian Army, an opposition group largely made up of army defectors, were reported to have killed three members of the security forces.

Turkey and the US on Friday both raised the specter of civil war, as thousands of protesters took to the streets to urge nations to expel Syrian ambassadors, defying a massive security presence.

Syria has already been suspended from the Arab League and could face further sanctions if it fails to comply with the bloc's call for the crackdown to end.

But it has agreed "in principle" to allow dozens of Arab observers into the country to monitor implementation of a peace deal agreed earlier this month, but with conditions attached.

The Arab League said it was examining a Syrian request to make changes to a proposal to send 500 observers to Damascus.

Damascus is becoming increasingly isolated over its assault on protesters which the United Nations says has killed at least 3,500 people.

Representatives of the Syrian opposition are due to meet William Hague, the British foreign secretary next week, according to the UK foreign office, while Alain Juppe, the French foreign minister, has called for the UN Security Council to extend sanctions.

PHOTO CAPTION

Demonstrators against Syria's President Bashar al-Assad take part in a march after Friday prayers in Kafranbel near Adlb November 18, 2011

Al Jazeera