Tremza, Syrian Srebrenica

More than 250 people were killed and over 300 wounded in the massacre committed by the forces of the Assad regime in the Syrian village of Tremza near Hama, Anadolu Agency reports.

The Syrian National Council said the majority of those killed were women and children.

Some of the civilians who died were executed with firearms, the other part - by slaughter.

More than 250 people were killed and over 300 wounded in the massacre committed by the forces of the Assad regime in the village of Tremza near Hama.

Adding that bodies were found in the meadows and in the river Asa, some of which were burned, the Council emphasized that the regime's security forces, after occupying the village, cut the electricity and telephone cables.

In the statement, the Council added that more than 300 people were wounded, and that they needed immediate medical assistance.

The Council also expressed concern that the number of victims could be higher.

The opposition insists on military intervention

Syria's main opposition alliance, the Syrian National Council, called on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Friday to adopt an "urgent and harsh" resolution, following claims by anti-regime activists and rebel leaders that government forces killed at least 200 people in the central province of Hama.

"We do not consider the monster Assad as the only one responsible for this heinous crime, but also Kofi Annan, the Russians and the Iranians and all the countries that pretend to be the guardians of peace and stability in the world, but are silent," the Syrian National Council announced.

In a statement, the opposition compared that event to the genocide in Srebrenica, and Bashar al-Assad's authorities blamed "bloodthirsty media" and "terrorist gangs" for the reports of victims in Hama.

The Syrian opposition demands that the UN Security Council invoke the UN Charter, which allows punitive measures against a regime that is considered a threat to peace, and insists on economic sanctions and military intervention. Russia has already announced that it will not allow such a resolution to pass.

"We do not consider the monster Assad as the only one responsible for this heinous crime, but also Kofi Annan, the Russians and the Iranians and all the countries that pretend to be guardians of peace and stability in the world, but remain silent," the opposition Syrian National Council said in a statement.

According to the Council, the "slaughter in the village of Tremza" ranks among the "biggest massacres in the world", including the one at "Sabra and Shatila in Lebanon in 1982 and in Srebrenica in 1995".

The authorities in Damascus respond that "the bloodthirsty media, in cooperation with armed terrorist gangs, executed the residents of the village of Tremza in order to sway public opinion against Syria and its people and provoke international intervention ahead of the UN Security Council session," reports the official Syrian news agency Sana.

Russia's Itar-Tas reports that "government forces continue to clash with armed extremists" and that on Thursday they "cut off the path of bandit formations that entered Syria from Turkey and Lebanon."

The Syrian National Council announced that most of those killed in Tremza were women and children

Citing reports from Sana'a, the Russian agency said that government forces carried out special operations against rebels in the provinces of Homs, Dara, Idlib and Deir al-Zor on Thursday.

According to reports, during the battle in the border sector of Rubeja near the port of Latakia, 320 kilometers from Damascus, "a large number of terrorists" were destroyed, and the "remains of the gang" fled to Turkish territory.

Ban Ki-Moon and Kofi Annan increase pressure on the UN over Syria

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and international envoy for Syria Kofi Annan stepped up pressure on the divided UN Security Council today, calling on it to demand an end to the escalation of violence in Syria and to insist on "consequences" if that does not happen.

Annan and Ban Ki-moon repeated their appeals to the Security Council to initiate action after yesterday's attack by Syrian forces on a village in Hama province, which they strongly condemned, reports AP.

At the same time, they accused the Syrian government of violating Security Council resolutions for the use of artillery, tanks and helicopters in the attack on the village of Tremza, when dozens of people were killed.

The UN Security Council is starting new talks on a resolution on Syria, while some Western envoys point out that the new violence indicates that stricter measures are necessary.

Annan stated that the attack on Tremza is "a terrible reminder that Security Council resolutions are still being violated."

He added that the Council should insist on implementing its decisions and send a message to everyone that there will be countermeasures if they do not respect those decisions.

Ban stated that he fully supports Annan's views, repeating the call to the members of the Security Council to take action.

In the first reaction from the US after news of the killings in Tremza, US Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice said that the new reports from Syria "dramatically illustrate the need for tough measures on Syria".

In addition, the White House announced that the new violence of the Syrian regime indicates the necessity of a coordinated international response within the framework of the UN.

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