Urgent response needed in Syria

A Syrian opposition group called for prompt intervention by the international community after what it said was a massacre in a province near the Turkish border. The opposition Syrian National Council called Wednesday for "immediate" action by the Arab League and Security Council in response to what it said was a massacre in Idlib province near the Turkish border. The umbrella group said Syrian security forces killed around 250 people in less than two days, al-Jazeera reports. The United Nations puts the death toll in Syria at more than 5,000 since the uprising against Syrian President Bashar Assad began mid-March. Officials at the world body say that, with army defections on the rise, the country is on the brink of civil war. Al-Jazeera correspondents said Syrian forces descended on Idlib because army defectors had taken control of parts of the province. Arab monitors are expected to arrive in Syria this week as part of an observer mission. Damascus conducted war games exercises earlier this week. Italian Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi di Sant'Agata said his government can no longer accept the continuation of violence in Syria. "Our concerns over potential contagion at the regional level remain high, because we see direct linkages with neighboring countries such as Turkey, Lebanon and Iraq," Terzi said in a statement. "The situation in Syria must be brought under control."