50 dead in fresh Syrian violence

Some 50 people were killed in the Syrian city of Homs Monday as troops launched fresh attacks on the beleaguered city, according to Reuters, citing opposition groups.

The wire service quoted a member of the opposition Syrian National Council who said the toll had risen to 50 people, most of whom were civilians.

The bombardment comes two days after another attack on the central Syrian city that activists say killed 200 people, the highest death toll reported for a single day in the 11-month uprising.

The Local Coordination Committees activist group said Monday’s bombardment hit a makeshift hospital in the tense neighborhood of Baba Amr, causing casualties. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 12 people were killed in the intense shelling.

Activists say they fear that the Saturday decision by Russia and China to block a U.N Security Council resolution on Syria will embolden Assad’s regime. Some fear that Syria’s turmoil will move into even a more dangerous new phase that could degenerate into outright civil war.

On Sunday, the commander of rebel soldiers said force was now the only way to oust Assad, while the regime vowed to press its military crackdown to bring back stability to the country.

“We did not sleep all night,” Majd Amer, an activist in Homs, said by telephone. Explosions could be heard in the background. “The regime is committing organized crimes.”

Amer said shelling of his neighborhood of Khaldiyeh started at 3 a.m., and most residents living on high floors either fled to shelters or to lower floors. He said electricity was also cut.

Homs has been an epicenter of Syria’s uprising. Monday’s violence came two days after another heavy bombardment of the city.

Activists said more than 200 people died in a single day. The regime denied any bombardment, and there was no way to independently confirm the toll.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report)