Syria News - Protests (2011): Russia’s stance appeared to embolden Mr. Assad’s government, which brazenly carried out a violent assault on the city of Homs on the day that the Security Council had planned to vote. It came, too, around the anniversary of its crackdown in 1982 on another Syrian city, Hama, by Mr. Assad’s father, Hafez, in which at least 10,000 people were killed in one of the bloodiest episodes in modern Arab history.
The U.N. stopped tallying deaths in Syria after they passed 5,400 in January, saying they were too difficult to confirm accurately, and since then the toll has mounted, with hundreds said to be have been killed in the attack on Homs alone. Estimates of detainees run from 15,000 to over 40,000.
United States Weighing Options
The same day, an American military official acknowledged that the Pentagon has begun to review potential military options for dealing with the upheaval in Syria, but said discussions were in the hypothetical phase.
The official, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive internal discussions, said, “We’re looking at a whole range of options, but as far as going to one course of action, I’ve not seen anything.”
The official declined to elaborate on the possible options, but typically the Pentagon — which as a matter of course reviews options when conflicts around the world arise — would consider everything from doing nothing, to arming rebels to covert action, airstrikes or deploying ground troops.
The U.N. stopped tallying deaths in Syria after they passed 5,400 in January, saying they were too difficult to confirm accurately, and since then the toll has mounted, with hundreds said to be have been killed in the attack on Homs alone. Estimates of detainees run from 15,000 to over 40,000.
United States Weighing Options
The same day, an American military official acknowledged that the Pentagon has begun to review potential military options for dealing with the upheaval in Syria, but said discussions were in the hypothetical phase.
The official, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive internal discussions, said, “We’re looking at a whole range of options, but as far as going to one course of action, I’ve not seen anything.”
The official declined to elaborate on the possible options, but typically the Pentagon — which as a matter of course reviews options when conflicts around the world arise — would consider everything from doing nothing, to arming rebels to covert action, airstrikes or deploying ground troops.
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