UN condemns Syria over Houla massacre

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has unanimously condemned the use of heavy weapons in the Houla massacre that left 108 people killed, including 49 children and 34 women.

The council said in a press statement issued after an emergency meeting on Sunday that the "outrageous use of force" against civilians violated international law and Syrian government commitments under Security Council resolutions to cease violence, including the use of heavy weapons in populated areas.

"The Security Council condemned in the strongest possible terms the killings, confirmed by United Nations observers, of dozens of men, women and children and the wounding of hundreds more in the village of [Houla], near Homs, in attacks that involved a series of government artillery and tank shellings on a residential neighbourhood," the non-binding statement said.

The UN body again demanded that the forces of President Bashar al-Assad withdraw heavy weapons from Syrian towns

READ MORE