Syrian troops shelled several areas of Idlib province Thursday (July 5th), as a total of 56 people were killed across the country, AFP reported, citing the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The Observatory said 39 of those killed were civilians, 16 regime troops and one an opposition fighter.
Army artillery pounded Maaret al-Numan, an Idlib town and scene of frequent violence, killing six people including a man, a woman and their child, the watchdog said.
Troops also shelled Al-Tah village, killing at least five people, it said, adding that dozens were wounded, some critically.
In Deraa, a member of the opposition was killed in clashes with regime forces, and in Homs province a brigadier general was killed in a targeted assassination.
Meanwhile, China joined Russia on Thursday in boycotting a meeting aimed at co-ordinating efforts to stop the killing in Syria.
In Beijing, foreign ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said China would not attend the "Friends of Syria" gathering in Paris on Friday.
Russia has also said it will stay away from the meeting after accusing the West of seeking to distort a weekend deal by world powers in Geneva aimed at achieving a transition of power. The Paris meeting follows one in Tunis and another in Istanbul, both of which called for tougher action against Bashar Assad's government.
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READER COMMENTS
بهاء
2012-7-24
After the weakness of world and Arab countries and the dead silence of the UN, world and human rights organizations, and the gather of the super powers against the unarmed Syrian people and hushing over the mascaras committed by the bloody Syrian regime against humanity which its body count exceeds what wars between countries left behind.
محمد قادر
2012-7-22
From the previous review of the developments in the Arab attitude towards the Syrian crisis either collectively or at the level of the country (individual) we can say that it is on the way to resolving the crisis due to Syria's importance as a pivotal state in the Middle East and as a key element for their security and stability, as well as that conflict in it could lead to violent disturbances in the region and beyond, and the change of the regime without consensus and political solutions will bring only negative results, not only to one country, but the region in general and it will enter into a vortex of chaos and unrest that the Arab States will not be immune from.
وليد كامل
2012-7-20
Bashar al-Assad is a meek wolf that has deceived millions, or even billions, and even the whole world, with his beautiful and amiable ways of talking and discussion, and he knows when to say certain words in order to blind everyone’s eyes to the bitter facts. But with time, things have come out contrary to the expectations of those who are intelligent. He appeared as the devil in human clothes. He appeared like a person to whom the killing of his brother is the easiest thing to do if the latter thought about raising an objection to him or his ruling or a decision that a Syrian citizen did not approve of. This criminality has become clear with the beginning of the noble Syrian revolution. When the Syrian rebels were shocked to know about the extent of thievery that Bashar has perpetrated against them, and his looting of the wealth of the country, they decided to oppose the injustices that they were being subjected to. But Bashar Al-Assad did not like that at all, and neither did his accursed army. His only response to the Syrian rebels was to kill and murder them. He did not even begin with threatening them, and instead on the very first day he started killing openly in the streets and squares, and he did not care about any of the Arab population, because he knows very well that no one among the Arabs would say anything or utter a word or object to him. He is from the Arabs, and he knows very well how lowly they are towards each other.
حسين
2012-7-19
Almighty Allah give Syria the patience for their Martyrs and give them your mercy. They were killed without committing any fault. Almighty Allah may give Your mercy to any man who died when defending his homeland from the enemies of humanity Bashar and his soldiers as You killed Pharaoh. Almighty Allah make him a sign for the people to consider. Almighty Allah make them safe and give Your victory to the free Syrian army.
حماد
2012-7-15
It is true that policy is about interests and realistic approaches, and it is an art, but that does not mean to remove the moral and humanitarian dimension from it, Europe and America rose one day to protect the Muslims in Yugoslavia and the heart of Europe and did not say that their interest required the weakening of Islam in Europe, but they were driven by an ethical standing and Human Values. When will the Arabs be fair to the Syrians, while we can only say Allah may help them?
شهاب واحد
2012-7-15
The international community is still disagreeing with each other about taking a unified stand and being tough towards the Syrian regime days before both Russia and China rejected a resolution in the UN Security Council condemning Syria and the Syrian regime for using violence to suppress protesters. Moscow considered that the situation in Syria today does not pose a threat to peace and international security. While the intervention of foreign powers in the internal Syrian political situation constitutes a threat to regional security, Moscow announced its refusal to resolve the Syrian crisis by imposing sanctions on Damascus, saying that the method of punishment has not proved its usefulness in any previous cases. The Arabs, all the Arabs, remain silent, even though the death number of innocent Syrians may exceed one thousand people, ten thousand prisoners are missing, and still the Arabs did not speak a single word!
ابو كرم
2012-7-8
Some States are affected by what happens in Syria. From time to time, Turkey suffers from the contravention of its territory by the Syrian regime and has directly threatened the Syrian regime more than once, and informed it that the Turkish territories are a red line so that the Turkish Armed Forces will deploy their troops along the international boundary between Syria and Turkey in order to prevent the occurrence of any misfortune to the Syrians who are on its territory as well as those who have escaped the violations of the Syrian regime. What is strange is that Turkey provided plenty of assistance to the free Syrian people and has supported them by all the possible means to enable them to obtain their freedom, has taken many deterrent actions against the Syrian regime, and has cut all economic relations with Syria until the demise of the unjust Syrian regime. It is very strange to find a State like Israel that deploys teams belonging to the Israeli humanitarian action organization to assist the Syrian people, treats them and sends the dangerous situations to Israel to get the appropriate medical care for them. How could the Israeli State have a humanitarian role towards the Syrians? The international position towards what is happening in Syria has not been expected. Its procedures were very slow. There are many States that stand next to Syria and support this corrupt regime at the hands of which fell a lot of innocent victims who pay the price daily regarding the stay of Bashar Al-Assad’s regime. Every day the numbers of the martyrs increase by the dozens. All of this and the international position remain unchanged. The Security Council continues to study the military actions that must be taken towards the Syrian regime.
ابو نوري
2012-7-7
With calls from all sides to hold conferences about the Syrian crisis from Moscow to Paris to Geneva and Istanbul, the major battle continues on the land of Syria, where there is the race between al-Assad’s regime and the revolution. The first justifies with decisiveness and makes the decision. The second works on breaking the balance of power without being able to break the military machine of the regime, and then there is a situation on the ground that scares all the foreign interventionists. Bashar’s supporters, led by the Russians and the Iranians, are discovering every day that a military solution is impossible because the imbalance in the military is replaced by the wider environment and support for the revolution. The revolution supporters discover that Bashar no longer works to restore Syria as a lost country but rather he works to draw the borders of his small Alawite country with all of his strength, potentially fueling a sectarian doctrinal dispute that will reach a point when it becomes impossible to reunite the country as easy as some thought. Even if Bashar is dropped, his criminality, the criminality of his regime and his legacy has led Syria to a bad and evil place that is too dark.
عصام حمدي
2012-7-7
What we hope from our brothers in the entire world is more prayers and supplication to Allah through calling that Allah would bless with comfort. There is no God but Allah the Magnificent, the Forbearing. There is no God but Allah, the Lord of the mighty throne. There is no God but Allah, the Lord of heavens, the Lord of Earth and the Lord of the holy throne. There is no God but Allah, He gives power to whom he is pleased and He strips off power from whom He is displeased. Over all things, He has power. O Allah, we have brothers in Sham who were plagued and tested. They have been humiliated. We ask You, O You who has the power over everything, O Lord of the Lords, O Ever Living One, O Self-Existing One, O You, if You say for something to exist, it would exist. Release their sorrow and keep them away from their anguish. O Allah, I call upon You by all your names and all Your attributes to heal their wounded and forgive their dead. Have mercy on their homes and protect them from the criminality of the criminals and the corruption of the spoilers.