Regime forces open fire on protester funeral in Syria Damascus – Agencies Syrian activists stated on Saturday that three civilians were killed in Homs as government shelling continued. Friday saw overwhelming demonstrations under the slogan “Popular Resistance Friday’\" in which 61 were killed, while four were injured when security forces dispersed a protest in Mezzeh, Damascus with gunfire.
Homs activist Omar Al-Homsi said that people were killed when the forces shelled a residential building in Baba Amr.
Mezzeh is one of the most policed neighbourhoods; besides its proximity to the presidential palace, Air Intelligence premises are spread out where detainees are kept and tortured, as well as branches of the military intelligence for army members who do not adhere to orders of firing at demonstrators. Twelve Free Syrian Army (FSA) soldiers were publicly killed in Daraa.
Syrian security forces on Saturday also reprtedly opened fire on a huge crowd gathered for the funerals of demonstrators killed in rare protests in the capital, an activist spokesman in Damascus province told AFP.
\"The forces of Al-Assad are shooting on those taking part in the funerals and firing tear gas to disperse them,\" Mohammad Chami, of the LCC said.
He said it was \"sustained gunfire.\"
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said there were casualties among the \"thousands\" attending the funerals in the Mazzeh district in the west of the city without specifying their number or severity.
\"It\'s the first time that the protests have spread to well-to-do neighbourhoods,\" said Moaz Shami of the LCC,
Mazzeh is a strategic area of the capital that houses many embassies, as well as government, security force and state newspaper offices.
Before Friday\'s demonstrations, Damascus had been relatively untouched by the massive protests sweeping some provincial cities and more used to loyalist demonstrations organised by the authorities.
The Syrian Revolution General Commission (SRGC) also accused security forces of raiding several villages in Daraa and Deir Al-Zour, conducting random arrests and heavy fire. This follows Syrian National Council (SNC) president Burhan Ghalioun\'s warning that that Bashar Al-Assad’s regime may commit a major crime in Homs, while Assad said that what Syria is going on in Syria to aims to divide it.
The SRGC reported that the security forces stormed areas in Sar Al-Harir, and Hamer village in Daraa, amidst heavy fire and an extensive campaign in the Al-Taiana village in Deir Al-Zour. The Commission warned that the Syrian army would carry out attacks in Baba Amr after news on reinforcements to forces surrounding the neighborhood. It called on the Syrians to increase mobility in all provinces to protect the inhabitants of Baba Amr. The statement also called on Arab and international communities to live up to their responsibilities towards what is going on in Homs, and stressed the need to consider Baba Amr a disaster area, urging for a quick opening of humanitarian paths to Baba Amr and other affected areas.
The president said on Friday that reforms have to be synchronised with a return to peace in the unrest-swept country, state media reported.
Assad, in remarks to visiting Mauritanian Prime Minister Moulaye Ould Mohamed Laghdaf, said that reforms and a “return to peace” must be concurrent in Syria, according to the official SANA news agency.
The president, whose regime is facing an Arab Spring-inspired uprising that began with pro-democracy protests 11 months ago, added that “Syria has been targeted in various ways to create chaos,” stressing that “armed terrorist groups” are responsible for the violence in the country, which killed nearly 6000 Syrians since March last year.
“The political reforms carried out by the state must move in parallel with efforts to restore security and stability and protect civilians,” he said, quoted by SANA.
Assad this week called a February 26 referendum on a draft constitution that could end nearly five decades of rule for his Baath Party. Opposition groups promptly rejected the new charter and urged voters to boycott the poll.
Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhai Jun said the international community must respect Syria\'s sovereignty after Damascus talks late on Friday with his counterpart Faisal Meqdad, state media reported.
Zhai\'s government has twice joined Moscow in blocking UN Security Council condemnation of the bloodshed.
\"The sovereignty, unity, independence and territorial integrity of Syria must be respected by all sides and by the international community,\" SANA quoted him as saying.
China and Russia have faced a barrage of criticism for blocking action by the Council, including from Arab nations with which Beijing normally has good ties.
\"We urge the Syrian government and all of its political parties to immediately and fully end all acts of violence and quickly restore stability and normal social order,\" said Zhai.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia renewed its warning to its citizens against traveling to Syria due to the aggravating situation in the Arab country,” Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
An official source told SPA that \"due to a serious escalation in [violence] the Saudi government [informed its citizens about] a travel warning for Syria and advised them to return to the kingdom.”
The Saudi Foreign Ministry had called on its citizens in Syria to return home last November, warning Saudi against travelling to Syria at the time.
Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders and Belgian Minister of Defense Pieter De Crem, Friday, decided to immediately send a mission for inspection of the security around the Belgian Embassy and its operation in the Syrian capital Damascus.
A Belgian Foreign Ministry announcement said this joint mission will be composed of an ambassador and two military personnel.
According to the LCC, a demonstration started in Salah el-Dean neighborhood in Aleppo, where participants demanded the trial of those who slaughtered Syrians and chanted for the victory of Homs and Daraa.
Mass protests reportedly broke out in Damascus suburbs, chanting against Assad and the regime. Defectors from the Syrian regime army were also reported to be constantly increasing, joining the FSA.
Hadi Abdullah of the Syrian Revolution General Commission told the AFP news agency: \"It\'s unbelievable - extreme violence the like of which we have never seen before, with an average of four rockets every minute.\"
\"There are thousands of people isolated in Homs. There are neighbourhoods that we know nothing about. I myself do not know if my parents are OK. I have had no news from them for 14 days,\" he added.
The activist said that an \'unprecedented\' number of military planes and surveillance aircraft were overflying Homs.
The latest bombardment comes after the UN General Assembly on Thursday demanded an immediate halt to Syria\'s brutal crackdown on dissent, which human rights groups say has cost more than 6000 lives in the past 11 months.