Syria rebels seize Iraq border as UN action blocked

Syrian forces launched an all-out assault on opposition strongholds in Damascus Friday, hours after rebels seized crossings on the Iraq and Turkey borders on the deadliest day so far of the 16-month conflict. Friday's firefights came after Russia and China used their powers as permanent UN Security Councilmembers to block resolutions on Syria for the third time in nine months. Diplomatic tensions were set to be fanned further when the Security Council rules on the status of 300 UN monitors whose mandate to oversee the implementation of Syria's tattered peace ends later on Friday. Moscow said it would back an unconditional 45-day extension submitted by Pakistan rather than Britain's proposal to add 30 days to their mandate one last time. State television trumpeted the news of the military's Damascus offensive. "Our brave army forces have completely cleaned the area of Midan in Damascus of the remaining mercenary terrorists and have reestablished security," it said, using the regime term for rebels. Reporters taken on a regime-organised trip saw empty streets, shuttered shops and buildings pockmarked with bullet holes. Reporters also heard the occasional sound of gunfire, which soldiers said came from snipers. A security services source told AFP the military has launched a general offensive in Damascus. The assault comes after a Wednesday bombing that killed four senior members of the regime, including the national security chief, who died on Friday General Hisham Ikhtiyar had been wounded along with Interior Minister Mohammed al-Shaar in the National Security headquarters bombing, which was claimed by the Free Syrian Army (FSA). Defence Minister General Daoud Rajha, President Bashar al-Assad's brother-in-law Assef Shawkat and General Hassan Turkmani, head of the regime's crisis cell on the uprising, were all killed in the explosion. "The army on Thursday launched a counter-offensive to retake control of areas infiltrated by terrorists to guarantee the security of residents and allow them to return to their homes," the security source said. State television broadcast footage it said was from Damascus showing weaponry reportedly captured from rebels, including material marked "Made in USA," as well as scenes of prisoners seated on the ground, their hands bound. "Syrian regular forces, including trucks and cars packed with heavily armed men, stormed the district of Jubar," the Britain-based watchdog said, adding that "searches had begun" there. It reported shelling in the area, as well as injuries, while the Local Coordination Committees activist group said Jubard was being "violently bombarded with heavy artillery and mortar fire." Fighting was also reported in Kfar Sousa in the southeast and Barzeh in the northeast. After Wednesday's bomb targeting members of Assad's inner circle, a security source warned that the regime would step up its operations against the rebels. "The army has so far exercised restraint in its operations, but after the attack, it has decided to use all the weapons in its possession to finish the terrorists off," the source said. Friday's clashes followed a deadly day of fighting across Syria, which the Observatory said killed 302 people, the highest daily toll since the uprising against Assad's regime began more than 16 months ago. Clashes took place even on Syria's frontiers, activists and witnesses said. An AFP photographer reported that FSA fighters fought a raging battle with Syrian troops at the Bab al-Hawa border post with Turkey and that some 150 rebels were on Friday in control of the crossing. On Thursday, Iraq's deputy interior minister Adnan al-Assadi told AFP that the FSA had seized control of all crossings along their common border. Activists have called for fresh anti-regime demonstrations after the regular weekly prayers under the slogan "The Ramadan of victory will be written in Damascus." State television has announced that the Muslim holy fasting month begins on Saturday, but the opposition Syrian National Council decided to begin Ramadan on Friday, in line with many Arab nations. Damascus, meanwhile, dismissed comments by Russia's envoy to Paris that Assad is ready to stand down. "The comments attributed to the Russian ambassador to Paris on the fact that President Assad would agree to relinquish power in a civilised manner are totally baseless," state television said. The denial came after Alexander Orlov told Radio France International (RFI) that Assad was ready to cede power but only in a "civilised manner." At the United Nations, permanent Security Council members Russia and China on Thursday vetoed resolutions on Syria for the third time in nine months. UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan, who had called on the council to impose "consequences" for the failure to carry out his peace plan for Syria, expressed disappointment. Washington condemned the "highly regrettable decision" to veto the UN resolution, said the Security Council had "utterly failed" on Syria and added that it would now work outside the council to confront Assad's regime. In Moscow, foreign ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich called Western criticism of its decision "absolutely unacceptable." However, Russia will delay its controversial shipment of three attack helicopters to Syria until security is restored there, the Interfax news agency reported on Friday, quoting an unidentified military source. Up to 30,000 Syrians have fled into Lebanon over the past 48 hours, the UN refugee agency said on Friday. "Reports vary between 8,500 and 30,000 people having crossed in the past 48 hours," UNHCR spokeswoman Melissa Fleming told reporters in Geneva. Syrians are also fleeing towards Turkey, Jordan and Iraq.