At least 21 people were killed Tuesday in Syria, including 19 by bombings in Homs' neighborhood of Bab Amr, where further troop reinforcements were dispatched, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Thirteen people, including a woman and three children, were killed in the heavy bombardment of the rebel district of Bab Amr, pounded for the past 18 days, said the London-based body. The neighborhoods of Karm el-Khaldiyé and Zaitoune were also the target of bombing for more than two hours Tuesday morning, it added.
In a related development, a convoy of 56 tanks and troop carriers were seen on the road between Damascus and Homs, near the village of Qara, heading to Homs, according to the Observatory, raising fears of a major assault on the city in the near future.
Meanwhile, Russia will not participate in an international conference on the conflict in Syria. The Russian Foreign Ministry said it had not been informed about the program of the meeting and who will attend. Moreover, it is not clear what was the purpose of this meeting.
Moscow said the event in Tunis seems only interested to support the Syrian opposition. Russia declared that while several opposition parties were invited, representative of the Syrian government were not welcome. The meeting will be held on Friday in Tunis. It stems from an initiative by France and the United States.
