The Syrian government has accused Israel of coordinating with terrorists to carry out targeted air-strikes on Syrian soil.

In a letter, sent to the UN, the government said a number of casualties were caused by the second consecutive day of attacks.

"The flagrant Israeli attack on armed forces sites in Syria underlines the co-ordination between 'Israel', terrorist groups and... the al-Nusra Front," the letter said.

At least three people have died in clashes between police and protesters in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka.

A further 60 are reported injured, after up to half a million supporters of Islamist group Hefazat-e Islam took to the streets of the city calling for the hanging of aetheists and other insulters of Islam.

Rioters set fire to shops and vehicles, and police used tear gas, rubber bullets and stun grenades to drive thousands of protesters out of the city's main business district.

Israeli fighter jets have attacked a target in Syria, saying it was an arms convoy to Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The planes flew over Lebanese territory, drawing condemnation from Lebanese President Michel Suleiman.

Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon said earlier this week that the transfer of sophisticated weapons to radical militant groups like Hezbollah was a red line, and Israel had acted when it was crossed, speaking about an air strike in January.

Hundreds of Syrians have fled a coastal village in the country, after a reported massacre of civilians by forces loyal to besieged Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

The Syrian Observatory for HUman RIghts posted a video onlne, showing at least 10 bodies lying in the street, covered in pools of blood. Activists reported that 77 people were killed in Baniyas after 72 were killed at the nearby village of al-Badya.

The United States condened the attacks, with the State Department commenting,

The US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel as admitted that the government is reconsidering its opposition to the arming of the Syrian opposition.

"Arming the rebels - that's an option," he said to reporters at a press conference alongside Britain’s Defence Secretary Phillip Hammond.

"You look at and rethink all options. It doesn't mean you do or you will. These are options that must be considered with the international community: what is possible, what can help accomplish [our] objectives."

The M23's political leader, Bertrand Bisimwa told AFP on Thursday:

"Our delegation will return to Kampala if -- and only if -- the government agrees to sign a ceasefire with us immediately."

Up to 100 people are feared to have been killed by Syrian government forces in the coastal village of Baida on Thursday.

At least 50 people are reported to have been killed, yet with no clear picture having emerged, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights warning that the death tolls could be even higher – with the numbers exceeding 100 dead.

The US State Department has announced the extension of some targeted sanctions against the Burmese government, while lifting visa restrictions on Burmese officials.

State Department officials said that continuing human rights concerns and the detention of political prisoners are factors in the extension of the sanctions.

The son of Libya’s former dictator Muammar Gaddafi, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, has appeared in a Libyan court earlier on Thursday, charged with plotting escape from detention in Libya.

Libyan authorities accuse Gaddafi of "undermining state security" after he met with envoys from the International Criminal Court in June 2012. Libya alleged that the ICC officials had attempted to pass coded messages to Gaddafi, keeping them in custody for 4 weeks, sparking a diplomatic row. Eventually all the ICC members were released.