In Syria, humanitarian crisis in Homs as strikes on civilians continue

In Syria, two bomb blasts hit the northern city of Aleppo today, killing two dozen people and bringing the violence raging in other parts of the country to an area that has shown support for President Bashar Al Assad. Syrian State Television showed bodies lined in the street and a bulldozer clearing rubble from shattered buildings. Government officials put the death toll at 28 with 175 more wounded after the bombs went off near a military intelligence building and a security force base. A spokesperson for the Free Syrian Army said their forces were not responsible for the bombings. The opposition blamed the government for using the bombings to distract attention from attacks on civilians in other parts of the country. Activists posted videos online that show crowds gathered in several cities protesting the attacks. Many criticized Russia for its veto of a UN Security Council resolution last weekend that would have required a transition to democratic leadership and an end to Assad’s rule.  One video, which activists say was taken today in the city of Idlib, shows hundreds filling a street carrying banners and waving the flag of the resistance movement. In Homs, government forces continued a barrage of artillery for a seventh day, with reports of more killings and medical workers warning of a humanitarian crisis. Doctors Without Borders, which is barred from working in Syria, said in a statement that the Assad regime was denying urgent medical attention and using medicine “as a weapon of persecution.” Residents of Homs have also warned of scarce food and medical supplies. Hivin Kako, spokesperson with the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told FSRN that the shelling continues. “The city and the area, these neighborhoods have been under bombardment are under a complete siege and they cannot get anything from outside and almost everything they had already is running out. The humanitarian situation is quite miserable.” Hivin Kako, spokesperson with the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, speaking from England. A global call for action on Syria continues to grow. A coalition of progressive Jews are calling for a boycott of Russian and Chinese goods to protest the countries opposition to UN action. Rabbi Michael Lerner, editor of Tikkun Magazine, called on the world community to intervene in what he described as a genocide. Also, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said today that Syrian government officials accused of crimes against humanity should be referred to the International Criminal Court for prosecution. Activists said solidarity events for Syria would take place this weekend in several US and European cities.