Each week, HuffPost World will provide the top stories out of Syria and a recap of events in the country's uprising, as President Bashar Assad’s regime continues its bloody crackdown.
June 23 - June 29 In Review
- Thursday was one of the bloodiest days in the uprising's history, with activists estimating that more than 190 people were killed. A video uploaded to YouTube purported to show dozens of bodies lined up in a street of Douma, a Damascus suburb.
- Syrian President Bashar Assad told his cabinet that Syria finds itself in a "real state of war." In an interview with Iranian state television, Assad added that the government should "annihilate terrorists" to protect the Syrian people.
- Gunmen attacked the offices of a pro-government TV station in Damascus, killing 7 employees.
- Two separate attempts by Red Cross aid workers to reach Homs failed this week.
- Bombs exploded near a Damascus market and the country's highest court, injuring 3 people.
- 23 people were killed when government troops shelled the city of Deir el-Zour. The victims included women and several children.
- Violence in Syria has exceeded levels from before the U.N.-brokered peace deal, the United Nations said. A U.N. investigation also concluded that government troops may have been responsible for the killing of more than 100 people near Houla.
- World powers are set to meet in Geneva on Saturday to discuss the worsening situation in Syria. U.N. envoy Kofi Annan floated the idea of forming a Syrian government of national unity.
Media Not To Miss
GlobalPost - 'Rebels Stave Off Government Assault'Tracey Shelton traveled to the town of Ariha in Syria's Idlib province for GlobalPost. Watch her compelling report in the video below.
BBC - 'Deadly Cycle Of Bloodshed'"The Syrian army did this to me," Mohammed's 8-year-old son said. The boy was lying on a bloodied carpet, injured after a Syrian army shell hit the family's home in Idlib province. Five of Mohammed's sons were injured in the attack; one did not survive. Watch Ian Pannell's full report from Syria's Idlib province in the video below.
TIME - 'Circling The Wagons On Syria'Fareed Zakaria weighs in on Russia's role in the Syrian conflict:
The U.S. has been bashing Russia for shielding Assad, coddling an ally at the cost of human lives and arming the Syrian military. Some of this is true, some false, and much is exaggeration. But all is unhelpful if the goal is to oust Assad. Unless the U.S. intends to ask Iran for help, Russia is the only country with any influence with the Syrian regime.