Major Homs assault feared

Fears of a massive assault on key activist areas in central Syria grew as a mass funeral for the 44 victims of twin car bomb blasts in Damascus turned into a strong display of support for President Bashar Al Assad yesterday. The government blamed the bloodshed on Al Qaida, bolstering its claim that terrorists, rather than reform-seekers, were behind the revolt. The opposition dismissed the government's claim and said the regime itself could have been behind the attacks, which could be a diversionary tactic. It said the regime was taking advantage of the distraction caused by the bombings to move in military reinforcements and prepare for a massive assault on Homs. Shelling in Homs yesterday killed at least three people in the Baba Amr district and set several homes and shops ablaze, activists said. "We believe this is in preparation for a large-scale attack," said Bassam Ishak, secretary-general of the Syrian National Council opposition group. Friday's bombings were the first suicide bombings since the unrest began in mid-March, adding new and ominous dimensions to a conflict that has already brought the country to the brink of civil war. It came a day after the arrival of an advance team of Arab League observers investigating Al Assad's bloody crackdown on the popular revolt. Sudanese General Mohammad Ahmad Mustafa Al Dabi, who is leading the Arab League monitoring team, was to travel to Syria later yesterday. Brotherhood's denial Meanwhile, Syria's Muslim Brotherhood yesterday denied an Internet claim of responsibility that it was behind the twin blasts, saying the claim was posted on a fake website created by the regime. Brotherhood spokesman Zuhair Salem, speaking from London, said the claim was "completely fabricated under our name on the Internet," squarely pinning responsibility on the regime of Al Assad. It was "completely orchestrated by the regime, just as the attacks were," he added. The United Nations expressed grave concern over the attacks. Many observers believe Friday marked a dramatic escalation in the Syrian conflict. "It's a new phase. We're getting militarised here," said Joshua Landis, a Syria expert at the University of Oklahoma. Syrian Christians have decided to cancel Christmas celebrations and only observe mass prayers, according to Greek Catholic Archbishop Elias Al Dabii.