Fears were growing today of a massacre of prisoners rioting in two Syrian jails.
Forces loyal to president Bashar Assad were reported to be preparing to storm the main prison in Homs, according to activists, who say thousands of political prisoners are being held there. Explosions and fires were reported inside the jail as rebels and government troops clashed outside. Nine prisoners have been reported killed in a rebellion at the prison in the commercial capital of Aleppo.
Widespread violence continued in Aleppo as regime troops attempted to wrest back rebel gains. Footage showed army tanks engulfed in flames as fighters carrying rocket propelled grenade launchers roamed the streets.
It came after Barack Obama said Assad’s regime will be held accountable if it makes the “tragic mistake” of using chemical weapons. Syria said yesterday it would not use its stockpiles against its own people but would in the case of an external attack. The statement drew condemnation from the West.
President Obama said: “We make it clear to Assad and those around him that the world is watching.”
French foreign minister Laurent Fabius said their use would be “completely unacceptable”.
Syria is believed to hold warehouses full of chemical weapons including sarin, mustard gas and nerve agents. The US said Syria will also be held responsible if such weapons find their way into the hands of the opposition.
Colonel Qassim Saadeddine, a Free Syria Army commander in Homs, said today that the rebels are “quite aware of locations and positioning of these weapons and facilities”. He said some stocks had been transferred to airports and border areas in recent weeks.
After a week of intense clashes in the capital activists said Damascus was relatively quiet today. But intense shelling was reported in the Deir Ezzor area near the Iraqi border, where the US said it is talking to tribal leaders about how to unseat Assad.
A state department spokeswoman said: “The Syrian tribes in the east are strong in their opposition to the Assad regime. We are working with them. Assad is going to go.”
