Syrian forces launched a fresh assault yesterday on the site of last week’s Houla massacre, forcing villagers to flee heavy shelling in fear of more carnage, a watchdog and the opposition said.

Machinegun fire was followed in the afternoon by shelling that targeted the village of Taldu, near Houla in central Syria, where over 100 people were killed on Friday and Saturday, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

“People are fleeing Taldu to other parts of Houla,” the Britain-based Observatory’s Rami Abdel Rahman said. “They are very afraid.”

Smoke was seen billowing above both Taldu village and the town of Houla as residents escaped to other towns in the region “for fear of a new massacre,” the watchdog reported. The Syrian opposition called for UN observers to rush to the area to protect residents.

“The murderous regime is currently carrying out bombing of Houla... using tanks and shells... The Council calls on UN observers to travel quickly to Houla and put pressure on the regime to stop the bombing and protect civilians who are still there,” “ said the Syrian National Council, the main opposition coalition.

“People are calling in distress following the regime’s brutal attack on their community, especially after the army’s withdrawal of roadblocks, which usually signals the beginning of attacks,” it added.

At least 108 people were killed in Taldu in the two-day offensive that began with heavy shelling, according to UN military observers who visited the site. Among them were 49 children and 34 women.

Some were blown to bits by artillery and tank fire but most were summarily executed, according to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Meanwhile Russia condemned as counterproductive a harsher diplomatic tone against the Syrian government yesterday, as the opposition accused Moscow of encouraging “savage crimes” in the country.

In the wake of the massacre near Houla, some Western powers have raised the prospect of armed intervention in Syria, after many of them expelled Syrian diplomats in a coordinated response to the atrocity.

However, the moves prompted cries of protest from Russia and China, Syria’s allies at the UN Security Council, which has condemned the massacre near Houla.