The Syrian regime’s intensifying assault on the rebellious city of Homs killed dozens of people yesterday, including two western journalists, prompting fresh pleas for international action to stop the bloodshed.
As international powers prepared to meet tomorrow to discuss the Syrian crisis, foreign news agencies reported that the near-three week long bombardment of the country’s third city had claimed as many as 80 more lives. Among them were Marie Colvin, the prominent war correspondent, and Remi Ochlik, a French photojournalist.
The latest deaths will increase the international pressure for measures to end the killing by President Bashar al-Assad’s forces. The regime’s assault on Homs intensified after China and Russia vetoed a UN Security Council resolution this month endorsing an Arab League plan to end the violence.