Syrian troops stormed a flashpoint suburb of Damascus yesterday, rounding people up in house-to-house raids and clashing with army defectors, activists said, as the 10-month-old uprising inches ever closer to the capital.

Tens of thousands of Syrian government supporters poured into the streets today to protest against an Arab League vote to suspend the country’s membership, as Turkey sent planes to evacuate diplomatic staff and their families after a night of attacks on embassies.

Syrian dissidents meeting in Turkey today formally announced the creation of a broad-based council designed to overthrow President Bashar Assad’s regime in what appeared to be the most serious step yet to unify a fragmented opposition.