DAMASCUS — After Russia and China vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning the actions of the Syrian regime, some Christians inside the country celebrated.
SAQBA, Syria — It was a scene of devastation. Whole sides of homes had caved in. Only a tank shell could have caused such damage. "They arrived Saturday and blew us away," said a local man.
DAMASCUS — The Syrian army has retaken several districts east of Syria's capital Damascus following three days of battles with rebel groups over the weekend.
In a speech broadcast live on Syrian TV this morning, Bashar al-Assad repeated his claim that "outside planning" was behind months of violence, saying: "The outside now includes Arabs."
The United Nations estimates that more than 14,000 people are in detention and 5,000 have been killed as a result of the state's crackdown since March.
Some military personnel were killed, but the majority of victims were civilians, according to state news agency SANA. Its report was accompanied by graphic photos of corpses and body parts.
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