Damascus, Jun 8 (AFP) The US today threw its weight behind a UN resolution condemning Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime over a bloody crackdown on demonstrations, as refugees fled a protest hub fearing reprisals.
State Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters ahead of a Security Council meeting on Syria that Washington was "trying to convince others in the council" to back the measure condemning actions by Assad's regime.
"We believe that such a resolution will bring added pressure on Assad's regime and advance the international community's efforts to end the brutal repression on Syrian people," Toner said.
The statement came as hundreds of Syrians fled Jisr al-Shughur in fear a day after state media talked up a military assault on the northern town in response to what it called the "massacre" of 120 police and troops by "armed terrorists.