Syria violence intensifies amid journalist deaths

Updated 5:00 PM ET

BEIRUT - Syrian forces intensely shelled the opposition stronghold of Homs as President Bashar Assad's regime also escalated attacks on rebel bases elsewhere, with helicopter gunships strafing areas in the northwest, activists said. The violence comes amid the deaths Wednesday of a French photojournalist and a prominent American war correspondent working for a British newspaper. In all, 74 people were killed nationwide.

Weeks of withering barrages on the central city of Homs have failed to drive out opposition factions that include rebel soldiers who fled Assad's forces. Hundreds have died in the siege and the latest deaths further galvanized international pressure on Assad, who appears intent on widening his military crackdowns despite the risk of pushing Syria into full-scale civil war.

"This tragic incident is another example of the shameless brutality of the Assad regime," U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said of the journalists killed.

The Obama administration opened the door slightly Tuesday to international military assistance for Syria's rebels, with officials saying new tactics may have to be explored if Assad continues to defy pressure to halt a brutal crackdown on dissenters that has raged for 11 months and killed thousands.

American, French journalists killed in Syria
Marie Colvin focused reporting on women, children
Syria blogger reportedly killed in shelling

The White House and State Department said they still hope for a political solution. But faced with the daily onslaught by the Assad regime against Syrian civilians, officials dropped the administration's previous strident opposition to arming anti-regime forces. It remained unclear, though, what, if any, role the U.S. might play in providing such aid.

France was outraged over the journalists killed.

"That's enough now, the regime must go," said French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

French spokeswoman Valerie Pecresse identified those killed as French photojournalist Remi Ochlik, 28, and American reporter Marie Colvin, who was working for Britain's Sunday Times.

France's Foreign Minister, Alain Juppe, said the attacks show the "increasingly intolerable repression" by Syrian forces. French Communication Minister Frederic Mitterrand said of the journalists killed: "It's abominable."

Syrian activists said at least two other Western journalists -- French reporter Edith Bouvier of Le Figaro and British photographer Paul Conroy of the Sunday Times -- were wounded in Wednesday's shelling, which claimed at least 13 lives.

Syria's stalwart ally and major arms supplier, Russia, remained behind Assad, but said the bloodshed adds urgency for a cease-fire to allow talks between his regime and opponents.

U.S. softens stance on arms for Syria rebels
Syria: Dozens killed; Red Cross urges cease-fire

The Syrian military has intensified its attacks on Homs in the past few days, aiming to retake rebel-held neighborhoods that have become powerful symbols of resistance to Assad's rule. For the government in Damascus, Homs is a critical battleground to maintain its control of Syria's third-largest city and keep more rebel pockets from growing elsewhere.

In the northwestern province of Idlib, a main base of the rebel Free Syrian Army, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claimed that Syrian military helicopters fitted with machine guns strafed the village of Ifis. Syrian combat helicopters are primarily Russian-made, though they also have a number of French choppers.

Another opposition group, the Local Coordination Committees, said troops conducted raids in the Damascus district of Mazzeh district and the suburb Jobar, where dozens of people were detained. In Jobar, the group said troops broke doors of homes and shops and set up checkpoints.

The group also said troops backed by tanks stormed the southern village of Hirak and conducted a wave of arrests.

A Homs-based activist, Omar Shaker, said the journalists were killed when several rockets hit a garden of a house used by activists and journalists in the besieged Homs neighborhood of Baba Amr, which has come under weeks of heavy bombardment by forces from Assad's regime. At least 13 people were killed in Wednesday's shelling, including the journalists, activists said.

The U.N. estimates that 5,400 people have been killed in repression by the Assad regime against a popular uprising that began 11 months ago. That figure was given in January and has not been updated. Syrian activists put the death toll at more than 7,300. Overall figures cannot be independently confirmed because Syria keeps tight control on the media.

On Wednesday, the U.N. said that Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon would dispatch Valerie Amos, the undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs, to Syria to assess the situation. No date was set.

Twenty of the deaths reported Wednesday were in Homs, where resistance forces include breakaway soldiers. Homs has drawn comparisons to the Libyan city of Misrata, which withstood withering attacks last year by troops loyal to Muammar Qaddafi.

Shaker said tanks and artillery began intensely shelling at 6:30 a.m. and was continuing hours later. He said the apartment used by journalists was hit around 10 a.m.

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[smittyc]

Price of gas at the pump is predicted to go over $5 dollars a gallon.

[MagnaCartaUK]

Exceptional people never think of themselves as such. They're unassuming, modest people. The exceptionally brave think of themselves as ordinary. The exceptionally intelligent consider themselves of average ability. Exceptional journalists like Marie Colvin - who possessed all of these attributes - similarly thought of herself as an average reporter doing her job. That's probably the only fact she got wrong. She originally from Long Island I believe; her family there should take a little comfort in knowing she was one of journalism's class acts, and one that informed superbly well. Her insights into the massacre currently taking place in Homs, Syria confirms that. If Assad has any shread of decency left, he will ensure that all assistance is provided in the safe passage and urgent repatriation of this lady, though it has to be said compassion for unarmed civilians doesn't rate highly in his personal values. Sincere condolences to all who knew her, and in particular her distraught family over there in Long Island. You raised a fine daughter indeed.

[PeconicPC]

It's amazing and worrisome that in 2012, a dictator can openly annihilate his own citizens.

The US should join with the British and French and a coalition of the willing. Give the Syrian regime warning with very short notice to stop the war crimes or the coalition will with drones and other resources end the war crimes quickly and with decisive certainty. We need to stop wishing or hoping that eventually the Russian and Chinese non-democratic regimes will care about human rights.

[PeconicPC]

It's amazing and worrisome that in 2012, a dictator can openly annihilate his own citizens.

The US should join with the British and French and a coalition of the willing. Give the Syrian regime warning with very short notice to stop the war crimes or the coalition will with drones and other resources end the war crimes quickly and with decisive certainty. We need to stop wishing or hoping that eventually the Russian and Chinese non-democratic regimes will care about human rights.

[jonnyooh]

I would like to see Assad suffer the same torment as KSM, the brains behind the 9/11 disaster, that is, he was waterboarded 183 times. When you kill 3000 people, you have only one life to repay it with. Waterboarding provides for dozens of little deaths for one like KSM. He should have been waterboarded once for each death. It's not just for going after information. It's about payback. Assad is the king of scumbags.

[Stevenapoli7]

I thought the chick with the patch died in Kill Bill.

[bonacar]

what are you. . .13 years old?

[UForgotPoland]

Did you actually watch the movie? She doesn't die but just gets her other eye poked out.

[bonacar]

I was very saddened to hear about Ms. Colvin's death. She was a very brave reporter who helped get the news out. My deepest condolences to her family and friends. I firmly believe the Assad government was targeting this house because it was a media center for the opposition. I wish they had moved around more. Her death is a terrible loss. She was a great reporter and a role model. I hope that Turkey will soon open a corridor with the help of NATO.

[julianpenrod]

The sympathy for the anti-government forces in Homs. How much sympathy did these same show the Palestinians when the Israelis killed women, children and non-combatants indiscriminately, showered them illegally with white phosphorus, lied to the UN that it was to assist in viewing the area, and employed a 120 attrition ratio in carrying out their slaughter? How many of these same had sympathy for citizens in Tripoli shelled by U.S. forces lying to the public about wanting to "prevent an humanitarian disaster", or when Predator drones, manned by cowards in bunkes in the U.S. uncaringly slaughter women, children, familes, noncombatants as part of the New World Order reign of terror masquerading as "trying to attack 'terrorosts' using civilians as human shields"? Turn this around, have Iraqi insurgents taking up positions inside a city. How many would condemn the seige now, how many would hold off on accusing the insurgents of using the people in the city as human shields? And, face it, the U.S. murdered its fair share of reporters who saw enough to overturn the lies the corporate owned "news" media fed the public, but they got away by saying "the reporters failed to follow instructions", then by bribing their pets diplomats throughout the UN.

[Robegera]

Everything was fine in Syria until outside trouble makers came along and tried to force a revolution. How many people are dead now? Mind your own business. Let Syria break the shackles of tyranny when the people are ready and the military will no longer support the regime, not just because all the other countries are doing it.

[sirmarion-2009]

When you get in harms way you may get hurt or killed,they knew the risk and died for it.Such as life.

[pawpaw64]

Still sad, but I agree. They volunteered for these assignments and were paid. I feel more for the civilians caught in harms way