Syria steps up Homs siege with ‘indiscriminate attack’

The failure of the UN Security Council to pass a resolution on Syria has encouraged Damascus to step up its assault on the opposition and launch an “indiscriminate attack” on Homs, the UN human rights chief said.

“The failure of the Security Council to agree on firm collective action appears to have emboldened the Syrian government to launch an all-out assault in an effort to crush dissent with overwhelming force,” High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay told the UN General Assembly.

On Feb 4, both Russia and China vetoed a European-Arab drafted resolution condemning the Syrian government’s suppression of anti-government demonstrations and endorsing an Arab League plan for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step aside.