Violence in Syria intensifies

Syrian forces resumed their attacks on the city of Homs on Friday, just hours after the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution calling for an end to the government’s crackdown on the opposition.

Opposition activists told news agencies that the shelling was the worst the city had seen in the past two weeks.

"It’s unbelieveable – extreme violence the likes of which we have never seen before, with an average of four rockets every minute,"AFP quoted Hadi Abdulla of the General Commission of the Syrian Revolution as saying.

The German news agency dpa quoted another activist who said some buildings were collapsing under the force of the bombardment.

The shelling was reported to be particularly heavy in parts of the city that are known as strongholds of resistance to the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

General Assembly resolution

Late on Thursday, the UN General Assembly passed an Arab-led resolution condemning rights violations in Syria and calling on President Assad to step down.

The measure is non-binding and is expected to make little difference on the ground.

The resolution passed 137-12, with 17 abstentions. China and Russia were among the countries that voted against it. Both countries vetoed a similar resolution earlier this month at the UN Security Council. Vetoes are not allowed in the 193-member General Assembly.

Ban condemnation

International attention at the UN continues to focus on Syria, with China announcing that Deputy Foreign Minister Zhai Jun would visit Damascus on February 17 and 18 for talks aimed at ending the violence.

The United States, meanwhile, has announced new sanctions against the Iranian intelligence ministry, claiming it has supported the crackdown on dissent in Syria.

Human rights groups put the cumulative civilian death toll from 11 months of crackdown and conflict in Syria at around 7,000.

pfd/rg (AFP, dpa)