Syria Isolated Further as Violence Claims 70

Jordan's king calls on Assad to quit while Turkey prepares to hold summit with Arab leaders in Morocco.

Violence has ratcheted up in Syria, with some 70 people killed in clashes yesterday, while President Bashar al-Assad finds himself more isolated with each passing day. The bloodshed has mounted in recent days as more and more Syrian troops appear to have deserted the army and begun fighting back, leading some observers to raise the prospect of civil war erupting. Many of the 70 killed yesterday were government troops, who are believed to have killed more than 3,500 civilians since protests against the Assad regime began in March. The skirmishes in the city of Hara and along the border with Turkey coincided with Jordan's King Abdullah II calling on Assad to step down. The king was the first Arab head of state to do so. In response, Syrian protesters stormed the Jordanian embassy in Damascus, tearing down the country's flag in the process. Turkey is also set to hold talks with Arab leaders in Morocco tomorrow to examine ways to bring the violence to an end.