Helicopters firing Syrian opposition cites

[jide09]

Government military forces fired indiscriminately Monday from helicopters on a town on the outskirts of Jabal Al-Zawiya, inflicting scores of casualties on civilians and rebel forces, an activist told CNN.

Ibrahim Swed, speaking from the town in northwestern Syria's Idlib province, said that the fighting between rebel forces in the Free Syrian Army and government forces continued for six hours and resulted in 32 deaths and more than 50 wounded.

Opposition activists said at least 93 people were killed across the country yesterday, 35 of them in Idlib.

"The regime is escalating the use of violent forces," said an activist in Idlib whom CNN is identifying only as Ahmad for safety reasons. "We cannot believe that the world is watching us being killed ... we want military intervention."

Ahmad said more than 40 Syrians were killed Monday in Idlib province.

In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the attacks showed the government to be desperate.

The use of helicopters to fire on civilians and the use of pro-regime thugs called Shabiha "constitutes a very serious escalation," Nuland told reporters. "What government voluntarily uses helicopters and fires from them on their own civilians if they're not desperate?" she asked. "What government depends on a bunch of thugs in trucks, irregulars, if they're not desperate? So, you know, clearly the government is under threat."

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Monday that "all options" should be considered if the peace plan put forth by special envoy Kofi Annan fails to achieve peace.

CNN