At least one person was killed on Wednesday in the military offensive on the city of Hama, according to Syrian Observatory of Human Rights. Reports claim the city was heavily pounded by the forces loyal to the regime of Bashar al-Assad. "There would be deaths and injuries. Some houses collapsed," said the local coordination committee (LCC), a body which t coordinates the mobilization of protesters against the regime.
According to the LCC, "nearly 4,000 soldiers and tanks" attacked the city, one of the opposition strongholds. Commenting on the regime's offensive in Hama, the daily Al-Watan, which is close to the government, said the authorities "have decided to resolve the situation permanently (...) and to get rid of (militia) forces ".
On its part, the opposition movement, the General Committee of the Syrian Revolution (CGRS), called on the head of the Arab observer mission, responsible for reporting on the situation in the country, General Muhammad Mustafa Ahmed al-Dhabi , to "come and see the armored cars in Hama before they destroy the city."
Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights (OSDH) reported on Wednesday the death of a civilian killed at dawn in Hama. It said six other civilians, including a 5 year old child, were killed in the provinces of Damascus and Homs. On Tuesday, 33 civilians were killed by security forces in the country.
On the diplomatic level, the Europeans and Arabs face the Russian veto at the Security Council of the UN. In the absence of a UN agreement, the Council of Foreign Affairs of the European Union on Monday adopted new sanctions against the regime. These sanctions include 21 military and security officials as well as a businessman who supports the regime's militia "Shabbihas", bringing to 108 the number of individuals and 38 entities under the sanctions.
