Syria denied its armed forces carried out a massacre in Treimsa but said 37 gunmen and two civilians were killed in clashes there with rebels.
The attack on Treimsa appeared to be targeted at specific groups and houses, mainly those of defectors and activists
Human rights activists say more than 150 people were massacred in Treimsa, which if confirmed would make it one of the bloodiest episodes of Syria’s 16-month uprising. Even so, it has already galvanised diplomatic efforts.
Kofi Annan and Ban Ki-moon head for Russia and China today to press the two UN Security Council doubters to back tougher action against President Bashar al-Assad.
The visits by the UN-Arab League envoy and the UN leader come at a crucial new stage in the conflict. The Security Council has until Friday to renew the UN mission in Syria but is divided over Western calls to increase sanctions.
On the ground, troops bombarded rebel areas in several parts of Syria as violence killed at least 55 people yesterday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Government troops also shelled the Damascus neighbourhoods of Tadamon and Al-Hajar al-Aswad, as activists claimed that “tanks entered Tadamon” and said fierce clashes had erupted in the district.
Foreign ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi said at a news conference in Damascus that troops did not use helicopters and tanks in the assault on Treimsa.
“This is absolutely not true. Only troop carriers and light weapons were used, he said.
“What happened was not an attack by the army on innocent civilians,” said Makdissi. “It was a clash between regular forces and armed groups who do not believe in a peaceful solution.”
UN observers entered Treimsa to continue their investigations after they saw blood and evidence of the use of heavy weapons as well as burned-out homes during a trip to the village on Saturday. They did not give a casualty toll.
“On the basis of this preliminary mission, UNSMIS can confirm that an attack, using a variety of weapons, took place in Treimsa on July 12,” said Sausan Ghosheh, spokeswoman for the UN Supervision Mission in Syria.
“The attack on Treimsa appeared targeted at specific groups and houses, mainly those of army defectors and activists. There were pools of blood and blood spatters in rooms of several homes together with bullet cases,” she said.
“The UN team also observed a burned school and damaged houses with signs of internal burning in five of them,” Ghosheh said, adding that a “wide range of weapons had been used, including artillery, mortars and small arms.”
Makdissi said “only five buildings where there were very sophisticated weapons were targeted.”