US renews call for Assad to resign

The US has reiterated its call for Syria’s president to leave power immediately after one of Syria’s most prominent opposition figures was killed.

The White House said that President Bashar Assad must step down before he takes his country further “down this very dangerous path”.

The White House condemned the killing of former political prisoner Mashaal Tammo and an assault on another leading opposition figure.

The statement noted the violence comes three days after the United Nations Security Council failed to pass a resolution that threatened sanctions against Syria if it did not stop attacking civilians.

Russia and China on Tuesday vetoed the UN measure, which would have been the first legally binding Security Council resolution against Syria since the government crackdown began in March.