Dozens die in Syrian crackdown

The Syrian army raided cities across the country before dawn today, killing at least 34 people – most of them in the flashpoint city of Hama where a barrage of shelling and gunfire left bodies scattered in the streets, activists and residents said.

The government is escalating its crackdown on protests calling for President Bashar Assad’s ousting ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which starts on Monday in Syria.