Syrian troops and tanks poured into Deraa yesterday, seeking to crush resistance in the city where a month-long uprising against the autocratic 11-year rule of President Bashar al-Assad first erupted.
A prominent activist said at least 18 people were killed in the first reported use of tanks inside a population centre since peaceful pro-democracy demonstrations began in the southern city, close to the border with Jordan, on March 18.
The White House, deploring “brutal violence used by the government of Syria against its people”, said