Killing goes on in Syria, rebel leader threatens more attacks

The leader of Syria's armed rebels has threatened to escalate attacks against the state's forces, saying he was frustrated with Arab League monitors' lack of progress in ending a government crackdown on protests.

"If we feel they (the monitors) are still not serious in a few days, or at most within a week, we will take a decision which will surprise the regime and the whole world," the head of the Free Syrian Army (FSA), Colonel Riad al-Asaad, said speaking to Reuters.

On Tuesday, the head of the Arab League said there were still snipers in the residential citiesn, even though Syrian government tanks have been moved to the outskirts of the cities.

Last week, some 50 observers - sent by the Arab League - were in Syria to monitor the situation in Syria. The Arab League had already bound Syria with a peace plan, which President Bashar al-Assad failed to implement.

The observers' report will be completed "in the coming days" and presented to the Arab League's foreign ministers, who will decide on what action to take, el-Araby added. "We will not wait for the mission to end" before taking action, the head of the Arab League said.

The United Nations estimated that 5,000 people had been killed since March in an uprising against the government.

President Bashar al-Assad's government says it is cracking down on armed terrorists.