Syrian Forces Assault Homs In Ongoing Effort To Quell Protests; Protesters Attack US, French Embassies

It's another day and another city is under fire from Syrian forces answering to Bashar al Assad's odious regime. This time, it's the city of Homs, and casualties have again been reported.

Rights activists and residents say Syrian troops backed by armored vehicles have stormed into the central city of Homs, killing at least one person and wounding 20 others.

The witnesses said the attacks Monday included troops firing machine guns.

The clashes come as Syria holds the second day of a national dialogue on political reform. Some opposition activists and intellectuals have joined the talks, but most prominent Syrian dissidents boycotted the conference to protest President Bashar al-Assad's deadly crackdown on the opposition uprising.

During the first day of talks Sunday, a number of speakers condemned the government's security forces and its violence against protesters. But others repeated Assad's contention that foreign agitators are attempting to destabilize Syria.

It's always about the foreign agitators - and finger pointing towards Israel or the US or other undisclosed Western influences.

It's never about the fact that Assad has ruled with an iron fist and his regime, like his fathers, has never been shy about using force to quell protests and opposition groups. The difference is that this time, the opposition has been televised and reports have been getting out of the country showing just how odious his regime is. The protests have not stopped, despite the carnage inflicted by the security forces.

Meanwhile, Syrian authorities continue the rabble rousing, and have brought about protests outside the US and French embassies. That follows the visit of US and French ambassadors to the embattled city of Hama to witness protests first-hand.



Assad's diplomatic corps has attempted to intimidate protesters in the US by photographing and videotaping them outside the Syrian embassy in Washington DC, but now the protests are outside the US and French embassies in Damascus and the French embassy in Aleppo.

For all the talk about reform and restraint, the fact that Assad's goons continue military assaults on cities throughout the country where protests have been ongoing is far more relevant than any claims to dialogue.

UPDATE:
MSNBC is reporting that rabble rousers have now attacked the US Embassy in Damascus and Syrian security forces were no where to be found. Syrian goons were allowed to attack the US embassy in Damascus. They apparently entered the grounds and raised a Syrian flag and sprayed anti-US graffiti. That follows similar protests towards the French embassies that were dispersed by French forces firing into the air.

UPDATE:
You don't bus in hundreds of protesters to attack the embassies unless Assad's regime is backing those attacks. Note too that the video/photographic evidence is quite easy to come by from the state run media in contrast with the attacks against civilians in places like Homs.