Syrian government forces heavily shelled the cities of Aleppo and Daraa and a suburb of Damascus on the second day of a major Muslim holiday Monday, killing up to 30 people, rights groups and activists said.

There was a relative lull in the civil war on Sunday, the first of three days of the Eid al-Fitr holiday marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan. During the holiday, Muslims the world over celebrate by wearing new clothes, feasting on sumptuous food and visiting the graves of loved ones. The renewed fighting, however, showed President Bashar Assad's regime is not letting up on its drive to quell the 17-month-old uprising out of respect for the occasion.

Activists reported no signs of jubilation across the battered nation, with smaller-than-usual turnout for traditional prayers on the first day of the holiday and an air of gloom blanketing major cities.

Adding to the despair, two