Syria cries foul over media

With signs of a civil war looming in Syria, Damascus claimed Wednesday terrorists inside the country gained access to key telecommunications equipment. A report broadcast on al-Jazeera Wednesday shows alleged representatives of the so-called Free Syrian Army firing on targets believed to be that of the Syrian military. Analysts had expressed concern that, given the growing number of defections in the Syrian military, the conflict in the country could escalate into civil war. A spokesman for a group calling itself the Syrian Revolution General Commission told the Arab broadcaster army defectors attacked an intelligence complex near Damascus early Wednesday. Mohamad Ahmad Harmous, identified by al-Jazeera as a member of the Free Syrian Army, is shown in a video warning of "massive operations" against Syrian forces. Damascus, through its official Syrian Arab News Agency, said authorities seized "a large number of highly advanced communication means and satellite devices found with the armed terrorist groups and the members working with the seditious and instigative TV channels targeting Syria." The Arab League, meanwhile, met Wednesday in Morocco to take up the Syrian conflict. Damascus had until Wednesday to halt its attacks on civilians or risk expulsion from the Arab bloc. The United Nations estimates at least 3,500 people, mostly civilians, have been killed since an uprising against Syrian President Bashar Assad began in mid-March.