Arab League ministers have gathered in Cairo for an emergency meeting on Syria, where more than 3,000 people have died since anti-government protests erupted in March.

Saturday's meeting comes on the heels of an especially brutal day. Activists say Syrian security forces killed at least 26 people on Friday, as the government continued its crackdown on dissent.

Activists say many of Friday's deaths took place in the flashpoint region of Homs, were they say government raids over the past week have left more than 100 people dead.

The recent violence in Homs was cited in a report released Friday by Human Rights Watch, which accused Syria of committing “crimes against humanity.”

Also, the rights group and opposition activists urged the 22-member Arab League to suspend Syria's membership.

On Saturday, the league is expected to discuss the apparent failure of an agreement it brokered with Syria this month that calls for the government to end its brutal crackdown.

League representatives held a preliminary meeting on Friday to discuss the crisis. Syria's state-run SANA news agency says the country's ambassador to the league told the group he would welcome their visit to Syria.

He said a visit would allow them to get “acquainted” with the “reality” of the situation in Syria, away from what he called “media falsification” against Syria by “several foreign parties.”

Syria has blamed much of the country's deadly violence on “terrorists” and gunmen.

The U.N. human rights office says at least 3,500 people had been killed in the country since protests against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad began in March.