Rights Group: 321 Killed by Syrian Shelling in New Homs ‘Massacre’

Heavy Mortar Fire Against Contested District

The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) is claiming “at least 105” people were killed on Friday when security forces shelled the Khalidya District of the city of Homs. Overall, they say 321 were killed in shelling across the city, and by Saturday morning Khalidya was up to 140.

Homs has been home to massive opposition to the regime, and is regularly reported as a site of not just peaceful protests but open battles between security forces and the Free Syrian Army (FSA).

The death toll is impossible to verify, as no independent media operate in Syria and the Arab League has withdrawn all observers from the country in the push for a new UN resolution demanding that President Bashar Assad step down.

The SOHR coupled the claims with a call for “immediate intervention” by the Arab League. It seems unlikely that any further intervention is in the offing, however, as the UN Security Council effort has stalled amid opposition by Russia, which has opposed the idea of a foreign invasion.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.