Ahead of what could turn out to be a decisive day for Syria, security has been stepped in the country in advance of what protestors say will be the biggest demonstrations so far against President Bashar al-Assad's government. New protests are expected after prayers on Friday, which has become the main day of the week for protests across the Arab world. Reports say troops have been deployed in the city of Homs which has become a focal point after a more than month of unrest. Yesterday, President Assad formally ended five-decade of emergency rule. The President has been trying to defuse the protests by launching a bloody crackdown along with a series of concessions, most recently lifting emergency laws that gave authorities almost boundless powers of surveillance and arrest. He also has fulfilled a decades-old demand by granting citizenship to thousands among Syria's long-ostracised Kurdish minority, fired local officials, released detainees and formed a new government. But many protesters said Assad does not deserve the credit. The movement has crossed a significant threshold in recent days, with increasing numbers now seeking nothing less than the downfall of the regime.