120 Security forces killed in Jisr al-Shughour

Security forces killed in Jisr al-Shughour

A total of 120 police and security forces personnel were killed by armed gangs in the town of Jisr al-Shughour on Monday, according to Syrian state media.

Official figures mark the deadliest day yet for government forces since anti-government protests began nearly three months ago.

SANA reported that “hundreds” of armed gunmen were involved in a range of attacks, including an assault on the town’s security headquarters that left 82 dead.

The gangs were heavily armed, the news agency said, carrying guns, grenades and RPGs.

Interior Minister Major General Mohammad Ibrahim al-Shaar said the government would react to the attacks “with strictness and power”.

"Stemming from the state’s responsibility in protecting the lives of citizens, civilians and army members alike, and protecting state institutions owned by the people, we will react with strictness and power and according to law,” he said in a statement broadcast on state television.

No figure has been given for the number of “armed gang” members killed, but the violence came after rights activists claimed that at least 35 people had been killed in the town since anti-government protests began there on Friday.

It has been impossible to independently verify any of the figures.

France pushes for UN resolution

In other news the international community has continued to talk up its response to the Syrian crisis.

The French foreign minister, Alain Juppé, has outlined his country’s plans to win a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning the Syrian government’s response to recent anti-government protests.

Alain Juppé said President Bashar al-Assad had “lost his legitimacy to rule the country”. He said he hoped Russia – which has already promised to veto any resolution – would be persuaded to give its support if the resolution received widespread support from other Security Council members.

Clashes reported in Damascus Palestinian camp

There were reports of 14 deaths and more than 40 injured when violence erupted in the Yarmouk Palestinian camp in Damascus on Monday.

According to a report by the Palestinian government’s Wafa news agency thousands held protests to mourn those killed during protests at the Syrian Israeli border on Sunday.

The demonstrations turned violent when the crowd attacked the headquarters of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the report said, blaming it of failing to organise official protests to mark the beginning of the 1967 war.