Syria steps up bombardment of Homs

Feb 9 2012

Syrian forces have renewed their week-long assault on Homs, activists have said, in the heaviest bombardment the city has seen since the country's uprising began in March.

Hundreds of people have been reported killed since last Friday in a barrage of rockets, mortars and machine-gun fire.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 12 people were killed on Thursday morning but an exact death toll could not be determined because of the chaos in the city.

President Bashar Assad's regime is trying to crush pockets of dissent in the city. Many areas have been under the control of army defectors who want to bring down the regime by force.