US officials once again reiterated their call for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down, as the city of Homs came under a fifth consecutive day of shelling by government forces.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice directed comments at President Assad, saying,
"Your days are numbered. It is time and past time for you to transfer power responsibly and peacefully."
Her remarks came as two senior US officials told CNN, that both the Pentagon and US Central Command had begun preliminary reviews of military capabilities, in case President Obama was to call for them. This follows from senior Republican Senator John McCain’s comment that the US,
"should start considering all options, including arming the opposition. The bloodletting has got to stop."
However military options seem far off with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin condemning Western “interference” and commenting,
"A cult of violence has been coming to the fore in international affairs in the past decade."
Meanwhile the Syrian city of Homs has been under siege by government troops, with activists citing figures of over 100 people killed on Wednesday so far. There were unconfirmed reports of mortar and rocket fire, as well as government militia infiltrating the city and killing civilians.
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