UN mission says Syria attack targeted rebels

An attack earlier this week on a western Syrian village that the opposition has described as a "massacre" mainly targeted army defectors and anti-government activists, according to United Nations observers who visited the scene.

The monitors, who arrived in Tremseh village on Saturday after earlier being denied access by the Syrian military, saw pools of blood and bullet cases inside some homes, as well as some destroyed buildings and a burned school, according to a statement released by Sausan Ghosheh, a spokeswoman for the UN mission in Syria.

It said heavy weaponry including artillery and mortars was used.

A UN spokeswoman issued a statement after inspectors visited the scene of Thursday's attack, in which at least 200 people are said to have died.

The attack "appeared targeted at specific groups and houses, mainly of army defectors and activists" she said.

Her statement did not identify the perpetrators of Thursday's attack or estimate the number of dead. Opposition activists have said between 100 and 200 rebels and civilians were killed. Ghosheh said the monitors hoped to return on Sunday to continue investigating.

The Tremseh attack has triggered a global outcry against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, with UN chief Ban Ki-moon calling for "decisive" action to stop the bloodshed.

Kofi Annan, special envoy to Syria, was among those who reacted angrily to the killings, saying he was "shocked and appalled".

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the attack cast "serious doubt" on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's commitment to the peace plan, while US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton suggested the Syrian army had "deliberately murdered civilians" in Tremseh.

Meanwhile, violence has continued elsewhere across Syria.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that hundreds of soldiers backed by helicopter gunships were reported to be attacking Khirbet Ghazaleh, in the province of Deraa.

The Observatory reported that 28 people were killed across the country on Saturday, among them a pregnant woman. On Friday, 118 people were killed, the group said.

Reports of casualties often cannot be independently verified, as Syria severely restricts journalists' freedom of movement.

Some 16,000 people are thought to have been killed since the uprising against Bashar al-Assad's regime began in March 2011.

The UN Security Council is currently debating the future of the UN observer mission in Syria, which is set to come to an end on 20 July.

Western nations want to increase the threat of sanctions in the new Security Council resolution on the future of the mission.

China and Russia remain opposed to any moves to threaten further sanctions.