President Assad sends tanks against civilians in Deraa. Gunfire can still be heard in the city, which has been cut off from the rest of the world. Almost 400 people have died since the start of protests. Almost 500 people have been arrested in the past few days. The international community is considering “targeted sanctions” against the regime.

Damascus (AsiaNews/Agencies) – The Syrian army has completely isolated Deraa from the rest of the world. Yesterday, 25 people were killed in the city, which is located in southern Syria; today, gunfire can be still heard. “Men are firing against residents,” one activist, Abdallah Abaziz, said.

Deraa is the city where protest against Bashar al-Assad’s regime is strongest and where the crackdown has been the hardest and the most consistent.

Security services have arrested at least 500 people in the past few days, a number bound to rise. Similar actions have taken place in Damascus and other cities like Duma, north of the capital. Citing local sources, a Beirut-based observer said 5,000 agents have surrounded the city and began house-to-house search.

In Deraa, at least ten tanks and armoured vehicles, backed by thousands of soldiers and security forces, took over the city, firing against demonstrators or anyone in the streets after curfew.

Local sources said that some members of the security services and soldiers refused to fire on civilians.

Human rights groups said that 20 to 25 people lost their life in Deraa; another ten in Mouhdamiya. Since the start of protests, 390 people have been killed.

The international community has reacted with alarm to the situation. The United States has ordered non-essential diplomatic staff and their families out of the country.

A new US ambassador had been appointed just a few months ago after six years of vacancy.

The United States and Great Britain and other European nations are considering “targeted sanctions” against Syria.

Following the harsh crackdown, UN and White House officials have appealed to President al-Assad not to use lethal force against peaceful demonstrators. “This behaviour is unacceptable,” a White House statement said.

• syria
• repression
• crackdown
• bloodshed
• sanctions
• targeted