Under-fire Syria blames rebels for massacre

Facing mounting international outrage over the killing of at least 109 people in the restive town of Houla, Syria yesterday accused rebels of carrying out the massacre, in which dozens of children were murdered.

Images of bloodied and lifeless young bodies, lain carefully side by side after the onslaught on Friday, triggered shock around the world and underlined the failure of a six-week-old UN ceasefire plan to stop the violence.

Syrian authorities blamed “terrorists” for the massacre, among the worst carnage in the 14-month-old uprising against President Bashar al-Assad, which has cost about 10,000 lives.