Shelling on Yarmouk refugee camp, 115 killed in Syrian violence

Free Syrian Army (FSA) fighters target regime forces in Damascus UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) has reported that several people have been injured as Syrian regime forces shelled an area of Yarmouk refugee camp, near Damascus. Earlier, SOHR claimed that 28 Hezbollah fighters were killed, and more than 70 others wounded during two days of fighting in Qusayr, Homs province.
According to a Syrian military sources, the regime forces seized control of the northwestern city, which is near the Syrian-Lebanese border, and cornered opposition fighters.
In a separate development, the Israeli army confirmed that one of its patrol vehicles came under attack overnight, near the Syrian border in the Golan Heights. In a statement, the army said that there were no casualties, but admitted that "machinery was damaged."
"Israeli soldiers responded by opening fire and hitting the source of fire," the statement concluded.
Earlier, Syrian Local Coordination Committees reported that 115 people, including six women and 12 children, were killed Monday, as fierce clashes erupted in the cities of Aleppo and Daraa.  
Thirty citizens were reportedly killed in capital Damascus and its suburbs, 24 in the western Syrian city of Homs, 22 in Aleppo, 10 in Idlib, a further 10 in Raqqa, eight in Deir Ezzor, six in Daraa and five in Hama.
The committees claimed that 371 locations has been bombed, with the fiercest offensive targeting the western Syrian city of Qusayr, which has been shelled by regime forces for the last two days.
Mortar shelling was recorded in 98 locations, with reports of missile strikes on 106 points, and artillery shelling on 130 areas of Syria.
The rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) clashed with the regime's forces at 102 locations, with reports of fierce fighting in Qusayr, where fighters from Lebanese group Hezbollah are fighting alongside President Bashar al-Assad's men.
Activists said dozens of Hezbollah activists had been killed in the raids, with several vehicles destroyed. Up to 40 regime soldiers were reported have lost their lives in battle.
Across Syrian cities of Damacus, Daraa, Aleppo and Raqqa, the violence showed no sign of easing. In the capital, FSA fighters claimed success with the bombing of 93 Syrian army targets. The rebels destroyed two regime tanks in Medamiat el-Sham, and stormed the barrier at Alfajuch and el-Nabaa in Kalamoon. In the southwestern city of Daraa, the FSA blew up a petrol station, and claimed to have killed dozens of young army officers during a calculated raid on an army academy. Opposition forces also claimed responsibility for bringing down a regime warplane near the Rashid dam, in the west countryside of Raqqa. The attack came after a raid on the perimeter of Brigade 17, north of the city. There were further reports of casualties from the bombardment of an aircraft on the perimeter of the Research Centre. SOHR reported that Syrian lawyer and human rights activist Abdullah Khalil, head of the local council in Raqqa, was kidnapped by an armed group, as he left the council's headquarters at dawn Sunday.
In Aleppo, the rebels stormed the central prison and freed detainees after the deadline given to the regime for their peaceful release had passed. Regime forces hit the dictrict of Ashrafieh at midnight, with reports of warplanes circling at dawn in the town of Pejanon. Dozens of casualties were reported following government shelling in al-Haidariya.
On the diplomatic front, British Foreign Secretary William Hague told Syrian President Assad that there were "no options off the table" if Mr Assad failed to attend peace negotiations scheduled to take place in Geneva.
Speaking at Britain's House of Commons, Hague said: "We have to make it clear that if the regime does not negotiate seriously at the Geneva conference, no options would be off the table in Syria. We know that Assad may not negotiate seriously."
US President Barack Obama shared his concerns with Lebanese counterpart Michel Sleiman about Hezbollah's active role in Syria.
In a statement, the White House confirmed that the US head of state spoke to Sleiman on the phone and reiterated his commitment to "maintain the stability of Lebanon and its sovereignty and security, especially with regard to the ongoing conflict in Syria."
The two presidents "agreed that all parties should respect the policy of Lebanon, which means distancing itself away from the conflict in Syria, and to avoid any actions that may involve the Lebanese people in the conflict," the statement continued.
The US State Department strongly condemned the military attack waged by the Syrian regime on the city of Qusayr, with the help of Hezbollah, accusing Damascus of working to cause sectarian conflict.
The department's Deputy Spokesman Patrick Ventrell said that the United States strongly condemns the violent air strikes and artillery shelling by the Assad regime at the end of the week on the Syrian city of Qusayr, adding that the Assad regime had deliberately caused sectarian tension.
British newspaper The Times claimed that Syrian has become a hub of conflict between Shiite Iran and Gulf states such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar who back opponents of the Sunni President Bashar al-Assad.
The newspaper added that Hezbollah's intervention in Syria had been crucial, with a pro-Hezbollah source claiming that controlling Qusayr could mean ending 70 percent of the Syrian war.