Monday 6 February 2012

Children are buried at night …

Syrian Uprising 2011 Information Centre:  SUMMARY (06/02/2012): At least 74 martyrs have fallen – most were killed in the bombardment of Homs but the regime is also attacking Rastan, Zabadani/Madaya, Darayya, Jabal az-Zawiyah and Ma’rat al-Nu’man. 2 brothers were also killed during raids by security forces in Dummar, Damascus. Meanwhile, as Russia’s FM departs for Damascus the UK government announced it is recalling the British ambassador from Syria and Washington said it is closing its embassy in Damascus for “security reasons.” See the map for more info. Syria – Monday 06/02/2012 – Google Maps

Yaman al-Ahmar from the Damascus suburb of Darayya. He was one of 14 martyrs killed by security forces during the massacre at the funeral in Darayya on 04/02/2012.
 Martyrs 2

Homs (06/02/2012): This is Baba Amru neighbourhood of Homs, Syria’s 3rd city and normally home to around 1 million people. Do we need to say any more? More than 50 martyrs are being reported in today’s bombardment, 64 martyrs across Syria including in Darayya, Madaya, Idlib and the countryside of Aleppo.
 Baba Amru 06/02/2012

UPDATE (06/02/2012): The besieged towns of Zabadani and Madaya, 40km NW of Damascus, are still under heavy fire, with reports of 5 martyrs in Madaya, 2 of them children, from the shelling. There has also been shelling in the Damascus suburb of Darayya, which has seen a vicious crackdown since Friday in which at least 24 martyrs have fallen.
 Zabadani 06/02/2012

HOMS (06/02/2012): The bombardment of Homs continues with many different neighbourhoods being targeted including Baba Amru, Insha’at, Bab Sabaa, Khaldiyeh, Bayadah, Rifai. A field hospital in Baba Amru was among the buildings hit. At least 25 martyrs are reported just in Baba Amru. The activist Khaled Abu Salah is among the large number of injured. There is fierce fighting between the FSA and Assad’s forces in Bayadah.
 Homs, Baba Amru 06/02/2012

Abu Salah making an appeal to the Free World after being injured in Baba Amr field hospital today, when the Regime shelled it….. On his FB page Khaled says. “I want to reassure you all that, God-willing, Khalid is fine and I want to reassure the shabeeha that Khalid will be back stronger than before”
Get well soon Abu Salah……
 An Appeal to the Free World – Activist Khaled Abu Salah

UK FCO: Syria: “an utterly unacceptable situation which demands a united international response”

Foreign Secretary William Hague updated Parliament on the situation in Syria, and plans to put pressure on the Syrian regime.

Speaking in Parliament today the Foreign Secretary said:

“With permission, Mr Speaker, I would like to make a Statement on Syria.

The whole House will be appalled by the bloodshed and repression in Syria which continues at this very moment.

Over the last 11 months more than 6,000 people have been killed.
The Syrian regime has deployed snipers, tanks, artillery and mortars against civilian protestors and population centres, particularly in the cities of Homs, Idlib, Hama and Deraa.

Thousands of Syrians have endured imprisonment, torture and sexual violence – including instances of the alleged rape of children – and the humanitarian position is deteriorating.

This is an utterly unacceptable situation which demands a united international response.

Last Tuesday I attended the UN Security Council debate in New York, along with Secretary Clinton and the French Foreign Minister Alain Juppé and other Ministers.

We all spoke in strong support of a draft UN Security Council resolution proposed by the Kingdom of Morocco on behalf of the Arab League. The resolution called for the implementation of the Arab League plan to stop the all violence in Syria from all sides, and to begin a political transition.

Mr Speaker, there was nothing in this draft resolution that could not be supported by any country seeking a peaceful end to the tragedy unfolding in Syria.

It demanded an end to all violence.

It called for a Syrian-led political process to allow the Syrians to determine their future.

And it set out a path to a national unity government and internationally-supervised elections.

It did not call for military intervention, and could not have been used to authorise any such action under any circumstances.

It did not impose sanctions.

It proposed putting the weight and authority of the United Nations Security Council behind a plan to achieve a lasting and sustainable peace in Syria.

As I said at the Security Council, this was the Arab League’s plan; it was not a plan imposed by Western nations.

It was co-sponsored by a large number of nations from the region – including Turkey, Tunisia, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Oman. Their leadership, and their strong understanding of their region, deserves our support.

I pay particular tribute to the Secretary General of the Arab League and to the Prime Minister of Qatar, who travelled to New York to brief the Council and played a vital role in the extensive negotiations that followed.
On Saturday the resolution was put to the vote.

Thirteen of the fifteen members of the United Nations Security Council voted in favour.

Two did not: Russia and China both exercised their veto.

They did so despite extensive efforts made to amend the draft resolution to address Russia’s specific concerns, and in the face of repeated appeals from Arab nations.

Instead, they chose to side with the Syrian regime and implicitly to leave the door open to further abuses by them.

They did so while President Assad’s tanks were encircling Homs and shells were pounding the homes of Syrian civilians, killing up to 200 people, and on the 30th anniversary of the massacre in Hama.

We regard this veto as a grave error of judgment by the governments of China and Russia.

Mr Speaker, there is no need to mince words about this.

Russia and China have twice vetoed reasonable and necessary action by the United Nations Security Council. Such vetoes are a betrayal of the Syrian people. In deploying them they have let down the Arab League; they have increased the likelihood of what they wish to avoid in Syria – civil war – and they have placed themselves on the wrong side of Arab and international opinion.

By contrast, I thank the other members of the Security Council for the principled stand they took; in particular the non-permanent members of the Council Morocco, Azerbaijan, Colombia, Germany, Guatemala, India, Pakistan, Portugal, South Africa and Togo. All of whom voted in favour of the resolution.

Pakistan’s representative to the UNSC spoke for all of us when he said “this resolution should not die; by being active and engaged, we should give hope to those who are expecting it from us”.

Mr Speaker, the Syrian regime may have drawn comfort from events at the United Nations Security Council, but we will do everything that we can to make sure that comfort is short-lived.

This is a doomed regime as well as a murdering regime. There is no way it can recover its credibility internationally or with its own people.

The UN Security Council’s failure to agree a resolution does not signal the end of our efforts to end the violence in Syria, and I want to set out how we will now proceed.

First, we will continue our strong support for the Arab League.
Earlier this afternoon I spoke to the Secretary General of the Arab League, Nabil El-Araby as well as the Foreign Minister of Jordan.

I welcomed and encouraged the proposal to appoint a Special Envoy of the Arab League, and I commended the Arab League’s leadership and action so far.

Arab Foreign Ministers will meet this weekend to consider their options. The Secretary General was very clear about the urgency of the situation, the continued determination of the Arab world to act, and the need to step up their efforts. I told him that the Arab League will have our complete support.

Second, we will seek to widen the international coalition of nations seeking a peaceful and lasting resolution of Syria.

We welcome the concept of a new Arab-led group of Friends of Syria, which I discussed with the Prime Minister of Qatar last Tuesday.

The aim of such a group will be to demonstrate the strength of international support for the people of Syria and their legitimate demands, to coordinate intensified diplomatic and economic pressure on the regime, and to engage with Syrian opposition groups committed to a democratic future for the country.

Britain will be a highly active member in setting up such a group with the broadest possible international support.

Third, we will intensify our contact with members of the Syrian opposition. The House will recall that in November I appointed Frances Guy, an ambassador level envoy, to lead our discussions with them.

We will continue to urge the Syrian opposition to come together and to agree a common statement of commitment to democracy, to human rights, and to the protection of all Syria’s minorities.

Fourth, we will maintain our strong focus at the United Nations, undeterred by Saturday’s vote.

We will continue to raise Syria at the Security Council, and we will consider with other nations a resolution of the UN General Assembly. And despite our disagreement with Russia and China we will continue to discuss with them any possibility of an agreed but meaningful way forward.

Fifth, we will increase pressure through the European Union, following the discussions I had in New York with Ministers from France, Portugal and Germany. We have already agreed 11 rounds of EU sanctions and will hope to agree further measures by the Foreign Affairs Council on 27 February.

Sixth, we will work with others to ensure that those responsible for crimes in Syria are held to account.

At the UN Human Rights Council meeting in March in Geneva we will work to ensure the strongest possible mandate to scrutinise human rights violations in Syria, so that those responsible know that there will be a day of reckoning and that they will be held to account.

And seventh, we will use our remaining channels to the Syrian regime to make clear our abhorrence at violence that is utterly unacceptable to the civilised world.

The Syrian Ambassador to London was today summoned to the Foreign Office to receive this message.

Despite our deteriorating relations with the Syrian government we remain committed to ensure the safety of its Embassy and staff in London. We expect the Syrian authorities to provide the same protection to our Embassy in Damascus.

In parallel, I have today recalled to London our Ambassador in Damascus for consultations. He and his team work in extremely difficult conditions to ensure that we have an accurate picture of what is happening in Syria. I hope the House will join me in paying fulsome tribute to them and their families. Their safety and security is always prominent in our considerations.

Mr Speaker, the human suffering in Syria is already unimaginable and is in grave danger of escalating further.

The position taken by Russia and China has regrettably made this more likely.

However this government, this House, and our country and our allies will not forget the people of Syria.

We will redouble our efforts to put pressure on this appalling regime and to stop this indefensible violence.

…
NOW! Lebanon
[local time]  21:33 A senior US Treasury Department official will travel to Russia and the Middle East for talks about sanctions on Syria and Iran, the US government said Monday, days after Moscow vetoed UN action against Damascus.
 21:30 UN chief Ban Ki-moon said Monday he was appalled by the Syrian government’s intensified onslaught on the protest city of Homs which he called “unacceptable before humanity.”
 20:36 Switzerland on Monday added 34 top Syrian military and interior ministry officials as well as pro-regime organizations to a travel ban list, as the United States closed its embassy in Damascus.
 20:03 The Syrian army has killed 60 people in Homs on Monday, Al-Arabiya quoted local activists as saying.
 19:49 The White House warned Syria’s allies Monday that backing President Bashar al-Assad was a “losing bet” after China and Russia blocked a UN Security Council resolution condemning his crackdown.
 19:46 The Pentagon said Monday the latest defections of senior officers from Syria’s military were “noteworthy” as the regime in Damascus sought to crush protests.
 19:25 Monday’s death toll in Syria has risen to 80 people, Al-Arabiya television quoted the General Commission of the Syrian Revolution as saying.
 19:22 Poland said Monday it would represent US interests in Syria, after Washington closed its embassy there amid growing security concerns as President Bashar al-Assad’s government intensifies a bloody crackdown.
 19:12 Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon Ghadanfar Roken Abadi denied on Monday that Iran is “supporting the Syrian regime with weapons and fighters,” according to the National News Agency. 
 18:27 Monday’s death toll in Syria has increased to 73 people, Al-Arabiya television quoted the General Commission of the Syrian Revolution as saying.
 18:26 Residents of Homs on Monday described scenes of panic and carnage in the city of central Syria undergoing a fierce assault by government troops, urging outside powers to intervene to halt the bloodshed.
 18:13 A strong police presence Monday prevented some 60 demonstrators from approaching the Syrian embassy in Algiers after Syrian opposition groups had called for such protests around the world.
 17:46 The opposition Syrian National Council on Monday urged Syrians around the world to hold protests outside their embassies, accusing the regime of “genocide” in Homs.
 17:44 Britain has recalled its ambassador to Syria ”for consultations” as the regime continues its violent crackdown against protesters, Foreign Secretary William Hague said Monday.
 17:30 The Syrian regime’s army and the Free Syrian Army swapped prisoners on Monday in the town of Saraqeb in Edleb, Al-Jazeera television quoted the Syrian Coordination Committee as saying.
 17:19 Syrian security forces have killed nine people in Zabadani, near Damascus, on Monday, Al-Jazeera television quoted activists as saying.
 16:06 The Syrian army has renewed its shelling of Homs’ neighborhood of Baba Amro on Monday, Al-Arabiya television quoted the General Commission of the Syrian Revolution as saying.
 16:05 The United States closed its embassy in Syria and pulled out all remaining staff on Monday citing serious security concerns as protests swirled against President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
 15:48 Britain is seeking new ways to put pressure on Syria through the UN and EU after Russia and China vetoed any action against the regime, Prime Minister David Cameron’s spokesperson said Monday.
 15:44 Monday’s death toll in Syria has risen to 64 people,among them 52 killed in Homs, Al-Arabiya television quoted the General Commission of the Syrian Revolution as saying.
 15:32 Saudi Arabia on Monday called for “critical measures” to be taken on Syria, warning of an impending “humanitarian disaster” after the UN Security Council failed to pass a resolution on the crisis there.
 15:31 The Syrian army has killed 11 people in the city of Rastan on Monday, Al-Jazeera television quoted activists as saying.
 15:28 Syrian army defectors on Monday announced the creation of a higher military council to “liberate” the country from President Bashar al-Assad.
 15:23 The Syrian army on Monday raided Zabadani with hundreds of armored vehicles, Al-Jazeera television quoted the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights as saying.
 15:14 Tunisian opposition parties on Monday criticized the government’s decision to expel the Syrian ambassador over Damascus’ crackdown on protests as a reckless break with Tunis’ diplomatic tradition.

  15:07 Russia and China will regret a weekend vote in the UN Security Council that would have condemned Syria for its brutal crackdown on protesters, Washington’s UN Ambassador Susan Rice said Monday.
 14:59 The Arab ministerial meeting on Syria will be held Sunday instead of Saturday, the Deputy Secretary of the Arab League chief, Ahmad bin Helli, said on Monday.
 14:56 Turkish President Abdullah Gul on Monday expressed his country’s disappointment over the veto by China and Russia of a UN resolution on the Syrian crisis, saying that the cold war era was over.
 14:55 At least 34 civilians were killed across Syria on Monday and scores were injured as regime troops pounded the city of Homs with mortars and launched an assault on Zabadani, near the capital, activists said.
  14:50 Syrian security forces stormed Damar, located near Damascus, Al-Jazeera quoted activists as saying.
 14:38 Hundreds of armored cars have launched an assault on Zabadani, near Damascus, AFP quoted activists as saying.
 14:26 Syrian Alawite activists, citizens and intellectuals, condemned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s “crimes and shelling of Homs,” which killed hundreds including “women and children.”
 14:19 France and Germany will not accept the “blocking” of international action on Syria, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Monday, after Russia and China vetoed a UN resolution on the crisis.
 13:38 There are reports that the Syrian army stormed Madaya, located near Damascus, Al-Arabiya television reported on Monday.
 13:32 Syrian military reinforcements arrived in Edleb’s Maarat an-Naaman, Al-Jazeera television reported on Monday.
 13:29 Russia, China and Iran are complicit in a “massacre” being carried out by regime forces in Syria, the Muslim Brotherhood charged on Monday.
 12:48 Syrian soldiers in possession of eight tanks defect in Zabadani, Al-Arabiya television reported on Monday.
 12:44 The Free Syrian Army clashed with the Syrian army near Zabadani, Al-Arabiya quoted an eye witness as saying.
 12:31 The Syrian army “totally isolated” Homs, Al-Arabiya television reported on Monday.
 11:39 Syrian National Council head Burhan Ghalioun told Al-Jazeera television on Monday that the time has come to end the actions of the “murderous” Syrian regime.
 11:13 Syrian military and security forces stormed Safuhan in Edleb on Monday, Al-Jazeera quoted activists as saying.
 11:01 The deputy of the Free Syrian Army chief, Colonel Malek al-Kurdi, said in remarks published on Monday that there was an exchange of gunfire near the Syrian-Turkish border on Saturday night between the Syrian army and the Free Syrian Army.
 10:52 A The Syrian Arab News Agency reported on Monday that an “armed terrorist group” blew up an oil pipeline in Talbisa in Homs governorate.
 10:40 Russia Monday condemned as hysterical the angry Western reaction to its veto of a UN resolution condemning Syria’s crackdown on protestors, as its top diplomat prepared for a mission to Damascus.
 10:25 All means of telecommunications have been cut in Syria’s Homs, Al-Arabiya television quoted activists as saying on Monday.
 10:04 Foreign ministers from the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) will meet in the Saudi capital later this week to discuss developments in Syria, Oman’s foreign minister said on Monday.
 9:46 Syrian forces launched a fresh bombardment of powder-keg city Homs at dawn on Monday, killing at least 12 people and wounding many more, activists and correspondents said.
 9:38 The death toll in Syria’s Homs has risen to 22, Al-Arabiya reported on Monday.
 9:27 The Syrian army launched military campaign against Homs, Zabadani and Madaya, Al-Arabiya television reported on Monday.
 9:25 China on Monday denied US accusations it was protecting the Syrian regime, after drawing international criticism for vetoing a UN resolution condemning a deadly crackdown on protests by Damascus.
 9:17 Al-Jazeera television is broadcasting disturbing images of people killed by army shelling in Syria’s Homs.
 8:40 The Syrian army’s shelling of Homs killed 17 in Baba Amro neighborhood, Al-Arabiya quoted activists as saying.
 8:28 The Syrian army shelling of Homs destroyed seven buildings in Al-Inshaat neighborhood, Al-Arabiya quoted activists as saying.
 8:14 At least 56 people were killed in violence across Syria on Sunday, half of them civilians, a rights group said.
 8:06 Syrian army deserters destroyed a military control post in the northeast overnight, killing three officers and capturing 19 soldiers in the process, a rights group said Monday.
 7:57 Republican presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich said Sunday the United States could take covert action to help oust Syrian President Bashar al-Assad without using US troops.
 7:53 Al-Jazeera is broadcasting live footage of the Syrian army shelling of Homs.
 7:50 Iran on Sunday welcomed the Russian and Chinese veto on a UN Security Council resolution condemning its ally Syria for its crackdown on dissent, the official IRNA news agency reported.
 7:42 Syrian forces launched a fresh bombardment of powder keg city Homs at dawn on Monday, causing an unknown number of casualties, activists and correspondents said.
…

BBC: Syria crisis: Army steps up Homs shelling

Heavy artillery fire has been rocking Homs, as Syrian troops step up an assault on the restive city.

A BBC correspondent there describes almost constant blasts, in the fiercest attack in the 11-month uprising.

US President Barack Obama said it was important to resolve the conflict without outside military intervention.

Meanwhile, Russia and China defended their veto of a UN draft resolution criticising Syria – a move that angered opponents of President Bashar al-Assad.

Later the US State Department said it had closed its embassy in Damascus and pulled out all remaining staff because of security concerns.

Washington had warned in January that it would close the embassy if the government did not step up security.

‘Not safe at all’

Homs, one of the main centres of resistance to Mr Assad’s rule, has been under attack from government forces for several days.

Shelling resumed shortly after daybreak on Monday, says BBC’s Paul Wood who has managed to get into the city, and hundreds of shells and mortars have been fired throughout the day.

Eyewitness Danny Abdul Dayem told the BBC the army was using rockets for the first time, with more than 300 falling on his locality since dawn.

“It’s not safe at all, a rocket could land in this house right now,” he said

Some rebels fighters have been firing automatic weapons in return, in what our correspondent calls a futile gesture.

The rebels claim that the shelling has hit a field hospital in the Baba Amr district, causing casualties. However, our correspondent says this is impossible to verify.

The facility is treating dozens of people wounded in previous assaults on Homs.

Mr Dayem said only one field hospital with four doctors was still operating in the city, and it was virtually impossible to get additional medication without being shot.

Another anti-government campaigner told the BBC the government was also using helicopters and tanks in the assault.

Activists say at least 15 people have been killed so far on Monday.

Syrian state TV said “terrorist gangs” had blown up buildings in Homs.

The state-run Sana news agency reported that an oil pipeline near the city had been hit by an explosion on Monday. It also blamed “terrorists”.

Both Syrian media and activists are also reporting clashes in the northern city of Idlib and the town of Zabadani, north-west of Damascus.

The government says it is fighting foreign-backed armed groups. Thousands of former army soldiers have defected to the rebel side, forming the Free Syrian Army.

The BBC’s Jim Muir in neighbouring Lebanon says the conflict is beginning to look increasingly like a civil war with dangerous sectarian overtones.

The uprising is largely rooted in poorer sections of the Sunni community, our correspondent says, while the government draws its support mostly from Alawites, Christians and other minorities fearful of an Islamist takeover.

‘Inexcusable’

The Syrian opposition says Saturday’s veto by China and Russia of a UN draft resolution condemning the crackdown will encourage the government to act without restraint.

President Obama vowed to apply sanctions and put pressure on Mr Assad.

“I think it is very important for us to try to resolve this without recourse to outside military intervention. And I think that’s possible,” he said in an interview for the NBC network’s Today programme broadcast on Monday.

He added that a negotiated solution was possible and said the US was “relentless” in demanding that Mr Assad leave power.

“The Assad regime is feeling the noose tightening around them,” he said. “We’re going to just continue to put more and more pressure until hopefully we see a transition.”

UK Foreign Secretary William Hague described the Russian and Chinese vetoes as “a grave error of judgement”.

Danny Abdul Dayem in Homs: “Pieces of bodies, children, women”

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said he would discuss the situation in Syria with his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev later on Monday.

“France and Germany will not abandon the Syrian people,” Mr Sarkozy said after a meeting in Paris with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. “We will not accept that the international community remains blocked.”

However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the resolution, drafted by Arab and European countries, would have meant taking sides in a civil war.

Speaking in Bahrain on Monday, he said encouraging “armed extremist groups” would only cause more casualties, and said Moscow supported peaceful dialogue in Syria.

Mr Lavrov is due to travel to Damascus on Tuesday for talks with President Assad.

Homs resident: “I watched a three-year-old girl dying”

The Chinese government also defended its veto. It said the draft resolution would only have complicated matters, and said Beijing sought to “avoid the scourge of armed conflict”.

Human rights groups and activists say more than 7,000 people have been killed by Syrian security forces since the uprising began last March.

The UN stopped estimating the death toll in Syria after it passed 5,400 in January, saying it was too difficult to confirm.

President Assad’s government says at least 2,000 members of the security forces have been killed fighting “armed gangs and terrorists”.

Analysis

Paul WoodBBC News, Homs

Syrian state television denied that there had been any bombardment. It said residents were setting fire to piles of rubbish on the roofs of their homes to trick the world into thinking that there was an attack.

There is no doubt, however, from what we have seen and heard, that hundreds of shells and mortars have been fired at this place during the day. As I write this, the windows of the house we are in are still reverberating from the impact of a shell, probably in the next street.

It is true that people have been setting fire to rubbish in the streets. They believe it will confuse the guidance systems of rockets apparently being fired at them. They are probably mistaken.

People in this part of Homs say these attacks are the worst they have known since the beginning of the uprising, almost a year ago. The bombing has been going on for several days now.

• ‘They are still picking up the bodies’
• Homs: ‘Who will help us now?’

…
Guardian: Syrian embassy in US responds to US diplomatic withdrawal from Damascus – video
The Syrian embassy in Washington DC has responded to the withdrawal of the ambassador Robert Ford and the 17 staff from the US embassy in Damascus. The decision to withdraw was made as increasingly ferocious attacks by the Syrian security forces continue in the city of Homs and across Syria. It is hoped that the move will increase the international pressure on president Bashar al-Assad to step down and end the bloodshed in Syria

Syria envoys recalled by Britain and the US in protest at ‘murderous’ regime:  Diplomatic crisis follows day of continued violence in which at least 50 people were killed in Homs, according to activists

Syria: ‘You cannot imagine how brutal it has been here‘:

  Omar Shakir, a resident of Bab al-Amr in Homs, describes the deadly shelling of his neighbourhood

US shutters embassy in Syria as calls continue for Assad to step aside: Obama maintains opposition to military intervention following Russia and China veto of UN security council resolution

US and UK vow further pressure on Syria as Homs assault continues – Monday 6 February: Follow the day’s events as Syrian government troops continue the bombardment of Homs, inflicting scores more casualities, according to activists

…

Syrian forces have launched a fresh attack on the city of Homs causing an unknown number of casualties, according to activists:

 Syrian Forces Attack Homs As United States Leads Calls For New Sanctions Against Assad | World News.

…

CNN: World seeks next step on Syria as deaths mount

 Intense blasts that echoed through the Syrian city of Homs on Monday were just a part of the latest violence ravaging parts of the country, as world leaders sought a new strategy to end the deadly fighting.

At least 74 civilians were killed Monday across Syria, according to the Local Coordination Committees of Syria, an opposition group that organizes and documents anti-government protests. Most of the deaths occurred in Homs, it said.

The violence came two days after China and Russia vetoed a U.N. Security Council draft resolution that would have demanded President Bashar al-Assad stop the violence and seek a solution to the 11-month crisis.

“They chose to side with the Syrian regime and implicitly to leave the door open to further abuses,” British Foreign Secretary William Hague told the House of Commons on Monday.

“Such vetoes are a betrayal of the Syrian people. In deploying them, they have let down the Arab League; they have increased the likelihood of what they wish to avoid in Syria — civil war — and they have placed themselves on the wrong side of Arab and international opinion.”

Chinese and Russian representatives said they want the violence to end and to see dialogue among Syria’s opposition factions.

“The Syrian regime may have drawn comfort from events at the U.N. Security Council, but we will do everything that we can to make sure that comfort is short-lived,” Hague vowed. “This is a doomed regime as well as a murdering regime. There is no way it can recover its credibility internationally or with its own people.”

The United States closed its embassy in Syria and pulled out remaining staff after the Syrian government refused to address its security concerns, the State Department said.

Hague said his country called its ambassador home for consultations. He demanded that Syria protect the British Embassy in Damascus.

Britain also called Syria’s ambassador for a meeting at the foreign office.

Hague vowed that Britain and other countries will remain focused on pressuring Syria on numerous fronts, “undeterred by Saturday’s vote.”

Opposition activists in Syria said the Syrian regime stepped up its brutal crackdown over the weekend after the Security Council failed to pass the resolution, leaving hundreds dead.

“It is horrible. Especially today, it is horrible,” said Abu Omar, a local activist who said the Syrian army was attacking without warning. “Usually, they are using mortars. They are now using rockets in the sky. We can see them in the sky.”

Four children and four women were among the dead Monday, the Local Coordination Committees said. According to the group’s statement, 47 of those killed were in Homs, 12 in Damascus Suburbs province, 9 in Idlib, 3 in Damascus, 2 in Aleppo and 1 in Hama province.

“The U.N. gave them the green light to inflict more violence,” another opposition activist, identified as “Danny,” said from Homs. “If it wasn’t for the U.N., they wouldn’t have did this. It gave them the OK to kill more. If the U.N. had done something about this, this regime would be a little bit scared.”

Danny said Sunday’s casualties included a girl who lost an eye to gunfire and a boy whose jaw was shot away. Many of the casualties were treated in makeshift field hospitals set up in civilian homes, including some who died from wounds that would not have been fatal with proper care, he said.

“We haven’t got enough doctors. We haven’t got enough medication,” he said.

Omar said one child killed in the violence “was almost in pieces.”

Syrian state-run TV said “armed terrorist groups” were attacking citizens and members of law enforcement in several cities.

Two children were killed by an explosive device planted by a terrorist group in al Bukamal, the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency reported. In Daraa, the city’s chief warrant officer and a conscript “were martyred by an armed group’s gunfire,” SANA said. And in Jboren village west of Homs, “an armed terrorist group today massacred” a family of eight with “bullets and sharp knives,” SANA reported.

China’s ministry of foreign affairs

A “terrorist group” also targeted a gas pipeline in Homs late Sunday, “blowing it up with an explosive device, causing gas to leak in the area,” SANA reported.

“The terrorists also shelled with mortars several neighborhoods of Homs. They also set off an explosive device in al-Khalidiye neighborhood that caused no injuries or casualties,” one SANA report said.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s office issued a statement saying he “is appalled” by the violence. “The lack of agreement in the Security Council gives no license to the Syrian authorities to step up attacks on the Syrian population. No government can commit such acts against its people without its legitimacy being eroded,” he said.

“The secretary-general calls upon all concerned in Syria and in the international community to redouble efforts aimed at stopping the violence and seeking an inclusive Syrian-led political process, in accordance with international law, that respects the will and legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people to a democratic and pluralistic political system.”

Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby condemned Syria’s heavy bombardment in some areas that led to scores of deaths.

“We are following the developments anxiously and extremely disturbed about the situation on the ground in Syria, especially in Homs and the suburbs of Damascus, in the escalation of the military operation and the usage of heavy artillery against the civilians,” Elaraby said in a statement.

He called it “an obvious breach” of international humanitarian law and Arab League human rights commitments, according to the statement.

Protesters and rebel fighters are demanding an end to al-Assad’s rule and true democratic elections. Al-Assad has been in power since 2000; his father, Hafez, ruled Syria for three decades.

United Nations officials have said an estimated 6,000 people have died since protests began nearly a year ago. The Local Coordination Committees said at least 7,339 people have been killed.

CNN cannot independently confirm opposition or government reports from Syria because the government has restricted journalists’ access to the country.

Several of the 13 Security Council members who voted in favor of the draft resolution said they were furious at Russia and China for their dual veto.

U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice said Russia and China “will have any future blood spill on their hands,” while French Ambassador Gerard Araud said Beijing and Moscow have aligned themselves with a regime that is massacring its people.

The Russian and Chinese ambassadors said they support an end to the violence, but did not agree with the text of the resolution, which they said would have complicated the issue and sent conflicting signals.

The two countries — which have major trade deals with Syria — have said they support a dialogue among factions in Syria.

On Monday, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected criticism of the country’s veto.

“China does not accept the accusation. We are not selfish in our decision,” the ministry said. “China does not shelter anyone. We uphold justice and take a responsible attitude. We want the Syrian people to be free from the scourge of conflict and warfare.”

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is scheduled to visit Damascus on Tuesday to meet with al-Assad, U.N. Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said.

Elaraby insisted Sunday that the Arab League and international community will continue to seek a resolution, according to an Arab League official who could not be named because he is not authorized to speak to the media.

“The Arab League aims to avoid military intervention in Syria and continues to probe for an Arab solution to the Syrian crisis,” Elaraby said, according to the official.

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But residents on the ground say so far, the international community has abandoned Syrians and left many to die at the hands of the regime.

“We want to see actions. We don’t want to see talk. We’re really tired of talk, and talk, and talk,” Danny said. “While everyone’s talking, every second, someone’s dying here.”

CNN’s Holly Yan, Josh Levs, Azadeh Ansari, Jennifer Deaton, Yousuf Basil, Richard Roth, Mick Krever, Eunice Yoon and Schams Elwazer contributed to this report.