Eight premature babies were killed when the Syrian army cut power to a hospital, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has claimed. The incident took place in Hama, where troops have been clashing with rebels who want President Bashar Assad out of office.
The report was submitted by a hospital worker who managed to flee the war-torn city. An earlier report stated that more than 50 people were killed when soldiers fired a shell that landed in front of the same hospital.
In addition, at least four civilians are reported dead at the hands of troops in the city of Deir Ezzor. The army went into Deir Ezzor, and the western city of Hula, early on Sunday morning, storming both with tanks and other heavy machinery.
Syrian officials have termed anti-regime protesters “terrorists,” and have accused them of sabotage and murder.
While Syria continues to enjoy support from Iran, which has reportedly assisted in violently repressing protests, it faces growing opposition from the West, and from its fellow Arab states as well. The Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf issued a statement Sunday calling on Syria to “put an end to the bloodshed and resort to wisdom, and make serious reforms.”
Kuwait issued a similar statement, calling on Assad to “initiate real reforms that meet the legitimate needs of the Syrian people.”