30 Killed as Syrian Army, Rebels Both Continue Attacks

UN Official: Both Sides Violate Ceasefire

The latest spate of violence continued today in Syria. UN peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous warned that both the Assad regime and the Western-backed rebels continue to violate the ceasefire.

The new reports have 30 dead, including civilians killed in a military shelling in Idlib Province. Twelve Syrian soldiers were also killed in an ambush in the Deir Ezzor Province, not far from the Iraqi border.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon noted that the violence in Syria seems to be down wherever the UN monitor team happens to be deployed, but that it flares up wherever they are not. Currently there are 30 monitors in the country, up from 4 just two weeks ago, and the Syrian government has agreed to see 300 eventually deployed.

The continued fighting doesn’t bode well for Kofi Annan’s “state of the ceasefire” report, expected over the weekend. French officials have said that when Annan confirms the ceasefire is not being kept they will push for a UN invasion to oust Bashar Assad and install the rebels as the new government.

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.