Kuwait and Bahrain recalled their ambassadors from Damascus on Monday (August 8th), one day after Saudi Arabia withdrew its envoy for consultations.

"No one can accept the bloodshed in Syria," Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed al-Sabah said in a statement, adding that, "The military option must be halted."Al-Sabah said that GCC foreign ministers will soon convene to discuss the violence in Syria.

On Sunday, Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah urged Syria "to stop the killing machine and the bloodshed before it's too late." The kingdom "does not accept the situation in Syria, because the developments cannot be justified", the monarch said in the statement. "The future of Syria lies between two options: either Syrian chooses willingly to resort to reason, or face being swept into deep chaos."

Also on Sunday, the Jordan Times reported that Jordan's foreign minister demanded the violence in Syria "must end".

"What is happening in Syria is disturbing and unfortunate," said Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, echoing the international call for dialogue and reform in Syria.

Nabil al-Araby, secretary-general of the Arab League, voiced his concern about the declining security situation in Syrian cities such as Hama and Deir al-Zor in a statement Sunday. He said the opportunity still exists for President Bashar Assad and opposition groups to reach a political settlement and called on Syrian authorities to end all violent campaigns.

Also on Monday, the Syrian military reportedly fired on the eastern city of Deir al-Zor, one day after an estimated 42 people were killed there. According to a statement issued by the activist Local Co-ordination Committees, the army used machine guns and artillery to suppress the popular insurrection.

Security forces also entered the town of Maaret al-Numan in the north early Monday morning, the LCC said.