At least 79 killed as Syria pounds protest hubs
Syria: The Syrian regime's rocket and shell bombardment of protest
hubs has left another 79 civilians dead, activists said, as Washington
closed its Damascus embassy and Britain recalled its ambassador.
The opposition Syrian National Council (SNC) said the regime was
surrounding Homs with tanks on Monday ahead of “a major offensive” and
warned of a “genocide” in the central Syrian city.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 42 civilians
were killed in Homs alone in another day of blood-letting, and warned
the death toll was likely to rise with many of the dozens of wounded in
critical condition.
State media reported the deaths of three soldiers and said a
“terrorist group” blew up an oil pipeline in Homs.
The army also launched an assault on the Zabadani area near Damascus
with heavy tank shelling, killing at least ten people, according to the
Britain-based Observatory.
It also reported civilian deaths in Rastan, Hula and Qusair, all
towns in Homs province, as well at Sarghaya, near Damascus, in the
northern city of Aleppo and in Idlib, northwest Syria.
A resident of Homs told AFP the latest assault began shortly after
0400 GMT Monday, with unprecedented barrages of rockets, mortar rounds
and artillery shells.
“What is happening is horrible, it's beyond belief,” said activist
Omar Shaker, reached by telephone as loud detonations were heard in the
background.
“There is nowhere to take shelter, nowhere to hide,” he said. “We are
running short of medical supplies and we are only able to provide basic
treatment to the injured.” One video posted on YouTube apparently showed
a field hospital hit by shelling in the Baba Amro district and wounded
patients lying on stretchers on the floor amid pools of blood and
shattered glass.
Footage shot by a BBC undercover team in Homs showed buildings ablaze
in rebel neighbourhoods as they were pounded with heavy weapons.
Damascus blamed the bloodshed in Homs on “terrorist gangs” using
mortars.
The violence comes as Western powers seek new ways to punish Damascus
amid growing outrage over Saturday's veto by Russia and China of a UN
Security Council resolution condemning Syria for its near 11-month
crackdown on dissent.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called the veto a “travesty.”
White House spokesman Jay Carney warned Syria's allies that backing
President Bashar al-Assad was a “losing bet.”
The State Department said it had closed the American embassy in Syria
and withdrawn remaining staff after Damascus refused to address security
concerns.
AFP
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