Activists say Syrian security forces killed four people on Wednesday during a sweep through the northwestern province of Idlib.

The activists with the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights say the forces raided the Jabal al-Zawiya region near the Turkish border.

Earlier this month, the group said three people were killed in the same region after President Bashar al-Assad's forces moved in to crack down on dissent.

Meanwhile, Arab League chief Nabil Elaraby slammed what he called “foreign interference” in Arab affairs, following talks with Syria's president on Wednesday.

Syria's state-run news agency SANA says Elaraby told reporters in Damascus the league does not accept outside interference in the “internal affairs of Arab countries.”

His comment follows sharp U.S. criticism of President Assad and his crackdown on anti-government protests.

U.S. President Barack Obama said Tuesday that Mr. Assad was “losing legitimacy in the eyes of his people,” and had missed “opportunity after opportunity” to present genuine reforms.

Mr. Obama told CBS News the Syrian government has perpetrated what he called an “unacceptable degree of brutality” on peaceful demonstrators protesting Mr. Assad's authoritarian rule.

Also Tuesday, the United Nations Security Council condemned in the “strongest terms” this week's attacks against the U.S. and French embassies in Damascus.

The assaults by supporters of Mr. Assad took place after the U.S. and French ambassadors traveled to the flashpoint city of Hama last week to show solidarity with residents facing a military crackdown on dissent.

The Arab League chief stopped in Syria as part of a regional tour. News reports say he also discussed Libya's unrest and the Palestinian cause with Mr. Assad.