300 dead in Hama, 58 killed in the "God is with us" protests

Image released by SANA of the destruction and barricades in Hama Activists confirmed at least 300 people dead in Hama while 58 got killed by security forces in Syria amid nationwide protests in support of the flashpoint city of Hama on the first Friday of Ramadan, the Muslim fasting month, reports say. SANA, the official newsagency for Syria reported the death of 20 soldiers. Eye witnesses told Al Arabiyah that 250 tanks are inside and surrounding the city of Hama.

Death toll rises as protests continue

The Local Co-ordination Committees of Syria, an activist organisation in the country, said 24 people had been killed across several citie, Al jazeera reported. Activists confirmed the death of 3 protestors while wounding at least 10 others in the city of Nawa near Daraa. Security forces fired at demonstrators in Irbin, near Damascus, killing five people and wounding many others, Abdel Karim Rihawi, head of the Syrian League for the Defence of Human Rights, an opposition group, told the AFP news agency in Nicosia, Cyprus.
"Thousands of demonstrators marched in Deir ez-Zor, Deraa and Qamishli in support of the city of Hama despite the extreme heat," he said. He said they numbered 30,000 in Deir ez-Zor alone. Another Syrian activist, Rami Abdel Rahman, said 20 people were wounded, seven of them seriously, when security forces opened fire in the Ter Maala district of the central city of Homs. Abdel Rahman said that "more than 12,000 people" marched in Bench, in the northern Idlib province, "to demand the fall of the regime and express their support for Hama and Deir ez-Zor". "Hundreds of people came out of the al-Mans Uri mosque in Jablah, chanting 'God is with us'," he said, referring to a city on Syria's Mediterranean coast.
State television said two members of the security forces were shot and wounded by armed men posted on rooftops in Douma, a suburb of Damascus. Pro-democracy activists say communications have been completely cut off as the army steps up an operation to crush dissent in Hama, 200km north of Damascus, where security forces reportedly killed at least 30 civilians and wounded dozens more earlier in the week. The call for Friday's solidarity protests came from activists on the Facebook group, The Syrian Revolution 2011, a driving force behind the demonstrations calling for greater freedoms in the country since mid-March.
The city of Hama - where at least 48 people were killed on Wednesday by tanks shelling the city centre, endured steady shelling and bombing Friday morning while the government's military offensive continued in full swing, said a resident whom CNN has not identified for his safety. Two witnesses, who talked to CNN independently, said scores of people -- one said he had counted 53; the other said 58 -- were killed instantly when a tank positioned 150 meters from Hurani Hospital launched an artillery shell that landed in front of the building.
The incident occurred after a number of demonstrators had come to the aid of two others who had been wounded by gunfire from Syrian soldiers, a witness said. Mourners were unable to bury their dead because the cemeteries are outside the city, and the military controls access, the activist said. Instead, "they dug holes in their backyards and buried the bodies," he said. Syrian state TV, which aired video of a tank and rubble on deserted Hama streets Friday, reported that the army had carried out an operation "to restore the peace of mind to the families" of Hama.  The state-run Syrian Arab News Agency has said "armed terrorist groups perpetrated acts of sabotage and killing through setting up barricades, breaking off roads, attacking and burning police stations using different kinds of weapons."

Arab response

Gulf Arab states on Saturday turned up the heat on Damascus, joining a growing chorus of pressure after Syrian security forces shot dead at least 22 people as tens of thousands staged anti-regime protests.
The six-member Gulf Cooperation Council called for an "immediate end to violence... and bloodshed."
Its statement urged "serious and necessary reforms that would protect the rights and dignity of the (Syrian) people, and meet their aspirations."

Late Friday, scores of Kuwaitis staged two demonstrations in solidarity with Syria's people, demanding the expulsion of the Syrian ambassador and the recall of Kuwait's envoy from Damascus. The same day in Egypt, several hundred people demonstrated at the Syrian embassy in Cairo under the slogan, "Free Syria, Bashar out." In Tunisia, several political parties, NGOs and known figures created a collective support group backing Syria's people, said Mokhtar Yahyawi, a former judge and the group's coordinator.

Western response

The US, French and German leaders have condemned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad over the use of "indiscriminate violence" against protesters. President Barack Obama called France's Nicolas Sarkozy and Germany's Angela Merkel to discuss new measures against Damascus, the White House said."The leaders condemned the Assad regime's continued use of indiscriminate violence against the Syrian people," a White House statement said.
"They welcomed the August 3 presidential statement by the UN Security Council condemning Syria's actions, but also agreed to consider additional steps to pressure the Assad regime and support the Syrian people." It was not immediately clear what the new measures could be. Correspondents say the US appears to be heading towards a direct call for President Assad to step down, after saying earlier this week that his presence was now fomenting instability.
Meanwhile, Al Jazeera reported that the U.S. Department of State urged its citizens to leave Syria immediately amid the ongoing violent clashes in the country between the government and protesters.
"The U.S. Department of State urges U.S. citizens in Syria to depart immediately while commercial transportation is available. Given the ongoing uncertainty and volatility of the current situation, U.S. citizens who must remain in Syria are advised to limit nonessential travel within the country," the State Department said in a statement.
The statement also added that those who planned their visits beforehand should cancel them immediately as well. The Department of State reiterated in the statement that it "ordered all eligible family members of U.S. government employees as well as certain non-emergency personnel to depart Syria on April 25, 2011." The travel warning came as Syrian troops and tanks continued their assault on the eastern city of Hama.