Syrian government forces appear to have recently made use of cluster bombs, weapons banned by most countries because of the danger they pose to civilians, a New York-based rights watchdog said Sunday.
Human Rights Watch said in a report that Syrian activists posted at least 18 videos on Oct. 9-12 showing remnants of the bombs in or near several towns, which included the central city of Homs and the northern cities of Idlib and Aleppo.
Meanwhile, the Syrian state news agency said a suicide bomber crashed an explosives-laden sedan into a coffee shop at a Damascus residential neighborhood, causing damage but no fatalities.
The State TV noted that the car, a Kia Rio, was
driven “by a terrorist and was equipped with explosives”.
Meanwhile, rebels attacked a military camp in Wadi
al-Douyouf, near the town of Maarrat al-Neeman, according to the British-based
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
International Positions:
Russia's foreign minister suggested on Sunday that Turkey's grounding of
a Syrian jet en route from Moscow to Damascus last week will not harm
ties between Moscow and Ankara, state-run Russian news agency RIA
reported.
"I assure you, nobody should worry about the state of
Russian-Turkish relations," RIA quoted Sergei Lavrov as saying in
Luxembourg. "They are developing on a stable and solid foundation."
For its part, Turkey banned all Syrian aircraft from its air space, days after intercepting a Syrian airliner carrying what it said were Russian-made munitions for the Syrian army.
Asked if Syrian aircraft were now banned from Turkish air space, a Foreign Ministry official said: "Yes, civilian aircraft. Military aircraft were de facto banned way before."
Syria said on Saturday that it was banning Turkish civilian flights over its territory.
In this context, Turkey increased the number of its troops on the border with Syria, as the Turkish border towns continue to get shelled by Syrian missiles.
LBCI/ REUTERS/ AP
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