Demonstrators gather during a protest against Syria＇s President Bashar al-Assad in Homs, February 10, 2012.
Syria＇s state-run news agency says gunmen have shot and killed a high ranking Syrian military officer in the capital, Damascus.
The SANA news agency says three gunmen opened fire on Brigadier-General Issa al-Khouli Saturday morning as he left his home in the Rukn-Eddin neighborhood.
Fighting was also reported overnight in the capital between rebels from the Free Syrian Army and government troops.
Tensions remain high across the country as security forces tighten their grip on opposition neighborhoods.
A declassified satellite image of the Syrian regime＇s artillery attack on the residential neighborhood of Bab Amr in Homs, February 6, 2012.
Recently released satellite images from the U.S.-based DigitalGlobe are said to show Syrian army tanks and other armored vehicles near opposition neighborhoods in the flashpoint city of Homs. Rights groups say more than 300 people were killed there in the past week as part of the government＇s continuing crackdown on rebellious areas.
On Friday, at least 28 people were killed and hundreds wounded after twin explosions targeted a military intelligence building and a security force base in Syria＇s northern city of Aleppo.
Syrian state television blamed the attack on what it calls "armed terrorists," but Colonel Riyadh al-Asaad, a rebel leader who heads the loosely-knit Free Syrian Army, denied responsibility and accused the government of being behind the blasts.
A report by McClatchy Newspapers quoted unnamed U.S. officials blaming the attack, and two recent ones in Damascus, on the Iraqi branch of al-Qaida.
Sectarian divisions have been rising as killings have increased on both sides of the conflict. Pro-government forces are led by members of President Bashar al-Assad＇s Shi＇ite Alawite minority. Syrian authorities have blamed what it calls "armed terrorists" for the revolt, and said they are responsible for several sectarian attacks in recent days. |
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