The diplomatic standoff around Syria seems to be reaching endgame as the US and UK withdraw their ambassadors and Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov flies to Damascus for talks with the Assad government.
As the political war of words heats up – so does the tone of reports on Syria. The deadly crossfire has left international media relying on snatches of information and dubious or unverifiable sources to report the unrest dragging the nation towards civil war. On Friday Syrian rebels claimed a massive govt artillery barrage killed 200 in Homs, an unverifiable figure that was nevertheless widely cited in the run up to the UNSC debate on Syria.Conflicting reports have continued to make their way out of Syria Monday, where the opposition says at least 50 have been killed in another government assault on Homs and several other cities.State TV denies government forces besieged Homs, saying activists in the city were setting tires on fire to make it appear a bombardment had taken place.Rebels claim several other cities were heavily shelled, with some 30 houses hit in Zabadani and another 17 killed by intensive shelling of Baba Amro.