Syria army launch new attacks on Homs

President Bashar al-Assad of Syria

Syria army launch new attacks on Homs

The Syrian army has launched fresh mortar and rocket attacks in the city of Homs, as the government continues a push aimed at crushing rebel forces.

Activists say 95 people have been killed so far on Thursday. Hundreds have reportedly died since last week.
Homs, Syria's third-largest city, has been a leading focus of unrest in the 11-month uprising against President Bashar al-Assad's rule.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon condemned the "appalling brutality" of the onslaught.

The international community is struggling to find a way to resolve the crisis after Russia and China blocked a UN resolution drafted by Arab and European countries on Saturday.

The assault on Homs, which began late on Friday, is focused on districts that are controlled by rebel forces.
The worst shelling has been in the Baba Amr district, where activists say 50 people were killed on Wednesday alone.

The army says it is fighting foreign-backed armed groups. Army defectors have joined rebel forces in Homs and other parts of Syria in recent months.

Government troops have stepped up operations at Syria's borders in an effort to stop arms reaching the rebels, reports say.

Continuing army operations against rebels are also being reported in the northern city of Idlib, the southern province of Deraa, and the town of Zabadani, north of Damascus.

The Local Co-ordination Committees, a network of anti-government activists monitoring the violence, say a total of 105 people have been killed around the country, including 95 in Homs.

Meanwhile Germany announced it was expelling four diplomats from the Syrian embassy in Berlin.

Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said on Thursday that the move followed the recent arrest of two people suspected of spying on Syrian opposition figures in Germany.

BBC/Ugo