Middle East News

Syrian opposition: 260 people killed in Homs massacre

Feb 4, 2012, 7:42 GMT

A view of the entrance hall of the Syrian embassy after being attacked early morning in Cairo, Egypt, 04 February 2012. EPA/AMEL PAIN

Beirut - Syrian opposition activists said Saturday a massacre by government troops in the city of Homs, which has been at the centre of the unrest in the country for nearly a year, has killed 260 people.

'The Syrian army is storming the city from various axes and the shelling that started overnight is still continuing,' activist Ayman Idlibi, told dpa.

'Houses are being targeted in the Khalidiyeh neighbourhood targeted by the shelling now and people are dying under the rubble of their homes,' he said.

The Khalidiyeh area has seen the heaviest of the shelling, which began on Friday afternoon.

The Local Coordination Committees (LCC), a group of local activists who document protests, said that security forces and pro-government thugs had also stormed Khalidiyeh's al-Amal Hospital.

More than 50 bodies and 100 wounded civilians were in the hospital and there were fears that those left inside would be killed or kidnapped, the LCC added.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said there had been overnight shelling, including the use of mortar shells and heavy machine guns, on several areas of the restive city. The London-based group said that blood supplies were short and donations were urgently needed.

Reports inside Syria cannot be confirmed independently, as the Syrian government has banned most international media and rights groups from entering the country. Those allowed are mostly restricted to the capital Damascus.

'This is a new massacre committed by the regime,' activist Idlibi said, adding that the opposition was calling on its supporters to protest in front os Syrian embassies across the world.

A crowd of Syrians attacked the Syrian embassy in Cairo in protest to the government's shelling of Homs. The observatory said they set fire to parts of the building.

Around 30 protesters also forced their way into the Syrian embassy in Berlin on Friday. They destroyed pictures of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and hung the flag of the opposition out of one of the windows.

The Syrian National Council called on the international community to 'speak up and do something to stop the bloodshed of innocent Syrians.'

The council, which is a group of opposition figures in exile, demanded that Russia change its position regarding a UN Security Council resolution on Syria. The council is expected to vote on a revised draft resolution on Saturday.

Russia said Friday it would not agree to the draft, supported by European and Arab countries as well as the United States. The text had been watered-down due to Russian demands, and no longer includes several major points, including a call on al-Assad to step down.

Russia is a major arms supplier to Syria and its main ally. It has a permanent seat on the council and can veto any resolution.

According to UN estimates, over 5,400 people have been killed since the crackdown on protesters, who demand the ouster of al-Assad, began.