Syria opposition urges UN action after ‘massacre’

BEIRUT – Syrian activists say intense government shelling has left more than 90 people dead in the central Homs region, attacks that could further erode a shaky cease-fire.

The victims of Friday’s assault included at least dead 25 children, killed after government forces tried to break into the town, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Houla has been the scene of frequent anti-government protests since the uprising against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad began in March last year. The town has also become a hub for opposition fighters.

Syria’s main opposition bloc put the toll at more than 100 and urged the UN Security Council to convene an emergency meeting to examine the massacre.

“More than 110 people were killed (half of whom are children) by the Syrian regime’s forces”, the Syrian National Council said in a statement.

“Some of the victims were hit by heavy artillery while others, entire families, were massacred,” said the statement by Bassma Kodmani, the council’s head of foreign relations.

It says the attacks prompted residents to flee from their homes and also prompted an anti-government protest in Damascus early Saturday.

The French news agency says the opposition Syrian National Council has urged the U.N. Security Council to convene an emergency session Saturday to address the deadly violence.

On Friday, U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon said a