Most Syrian rebels pulled out of the besieged Baba Amro district of Homs on Thursday after more than three weeks of bombardment by President Bashar al-Assad's forces, activists in contact with the rebels said. They said a few fighters had remained behind to try to cover the "tactical withdrawal" of their comrades.
On the other hand, Britain said it has pulled its diplomats out of Syria for security reasons but is not breaking diplomatic ties with Damascus after months of violent political turmoil.
"We now judge that the deterioration of the security situation in Damascus puts our embassy staff and premises at risk, and have taken the decision to withdraw staff accordingly. Our ambassador and diplomatic staff left Syria on 29 February and will return to the UK shortly," Foreign Secretary William Hague said in a statement.
A Foreign Office spokesman said Britain had not broken diplomatic ties with Syria. "The (Syrian) embassy in London will remain open so we can have a channel of communication to the Syrian regime," he said.
Meanwhile, Kuwait's parliament said that it would support the rebel Free Syria Army, and called on the Kuwaiti government to cut ties with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
The parliament, which has limited legislative powers, also called for Assad to be prosecuted for crimes against his people. The Free Syrian Army is composed mainly of Syrian soldiers who have defected and volunteer civilians.
Furthermore, the United Nations Human Rights Council condemned Syria for widespread violations that may amount to crimes against humanity and called for a halt to attacks against civilians.
The 47-member forum, holding an urgent debate, voted by 37 states in favor, 3 against including China and Russia, and 3 abstentions, to adopt a resolution brought by Gulf countries with Western backing. Four delegations did not take part in the vote. Syria was not present.
Foreign ministers from Gulf Arab countries will meet their Russian counterpart in Riyadh next week to discuss the Syrian conflict, Al Arabiya television reported on Thursday. Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled al-Sabah told the regional news channel the meeting would take place next Wednesday.
Russia and China have twice used their vetoes to block U.N. Security Council resolutions on Syria, where repression of initially peaceful protests against President Bashar al-Assad has spawned an armed insurrection. The Gulf Cooperation Council - Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates - said a month ago that its members would recall their ambassadors from Syria and expel the Syrian envoys in their capitals.
Syrian rebels defending the besieged Baba Amro district of the city of Homs reported further fighting overnight and said they faced at least 7,000 troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad.
A senior official of the rebel Free Syrian Army, Mohaimen al-Rumaid, told Reuters on Thursday that opposition forces elsewhere in Syria had been ordered to step up the fight against government forces to relieve pressure on Homs, which has been under sustained artillery and rocket bombardment for 26 days.
Diplomats said earlier that the feared 4th Armored Division was mounting a drive to "finish off" the rebels in Baba Amro.
The 4th Armored Division commanded by Maher al-Assad, the president's younger brother, has won a reputation for ruthlessness during the past year of revolt against the government.
Reuters