Army defectors stand atop a tank as residents gather in Hama in this still image taken from video July 31, 2011. Syrian army tanks firing shells and machineguns stormed the city of Hama on Sunday, killing at least 45 civilians in a move to crush demonstrations against President Bashar al-Assad's rule, residents and activists said.[Photo/Agencies]

ANKARA -- Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Monday condemned Sunday's crackdown on Syria's protestors, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported.

"We were greatly disappointed over the operation yesterday in Syria, specifically in Hama. The timing of and the way these operations are conducted in are all wrong. We severely condemn these operations," Davutoglu was quoted as saying before leaving for Norway to attend the funeral ceremony of a Turkish national who was killed in the shooting in Norway's Utoya island on July 22.

A total of 79 Syrians were said to have been killed in several cities in clashes with security forces Sunday, while the Cabinet ratified a draft law to give a greater say in various fields to local governments and the public.

"The dimensions of loss of civilian lives in an operation that deploys tanks and heavy weapons in a highly populated area should have been known to the Syrian authorities," Davutoglu said.

Davutoglu said Turkey demanded an immediate halt of military operations in Syria for peace to reign in, adding "welcoming the Ramadan with this great loss of lives is unacceptable."