Syrians protest Arab sanctions 'interference'

BEIRUT - Tens of thousands of Syrians protested on Monday in rallies against unprecedented economic sanctions imposed by the Arab League over the government's alleged crackdown on unrest.

State television showed rallies "supporting national unity and rejecting foreign interference" in the capital Damascus and the second city of Aleppo. There were demonstrations also in the eastern cities of Deir al-Zor and Hasaka, the TV reports said.

The Arab League approved the sanctions against Syria on Sunday, the toughest imposed against a member state. The unrest in the country, now in its ninth month, has killed 3,500 people, according to the United Nations.