Bashar al Assad Live Blog

The Red Cross says Syria has yet to grant the humanitarian group permission to visit most prisons in the country.

The director-general of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Yves Daccord, says the group has only been able to visit one prison in the Syrian capital Damascus since the start of the anti-government uprising eight months ago.

Rights groups estimate that nearly 4,000 people have been killed in clashes between protesters and security forces. They claim thousands more have disappeared into prisons.

-AP

AP - The commander of a group of Syrian army defectors retracted earlier claims that his followers launched an unprecedented attack inside the capital, Damascus, in an embarrassing turnaround for an armed movement trying
to oust President Bashar Assad's regime.

Riad al-Asaad, a Turkey-based air force colonel who heads the Free Syrian Army, said in a video posted on the group's Facebook page Sunday evening that Assad's government was trying to tarnish the image of the revolution.

"We did not target the party building in Damascus and we will not target any civilian installation,'' said al-Asaad, who was wearing his military uniform.

But al-Asaad did not address why his group had claimed responsibility for the attack hours after Damascus residents reported hearing two loud blasts before dawn Sunday.

In a Facebook posting  - which had been removed by Monday morning  - the FSA had said it fired rocket-propelled grenades at the headquarters of Syria's ruling Baath party.

There were no apparent damage or injuries.

A Syrian flashes the V-sign for victory as others wave their national flag as they rally in central in Damascus on November 20, 2011, to show their support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad who defiantly vowed to fight and die if needed as an Arab League deadline for his government to stop its lethal crackdown on protesters expired with 17 more people killed. [AFP/LOUAI BESHARA]

AFP - A bus carrying Turkish pilgrims came under attack in neighbouring Syria as they were travelling back from the hajj in
Saudi Arabia, leaving two injured, media reports said on Monday.

The private CNN-Turk television station, citing unconfirmed claims, said the attack was carried out by Syrian soldiers when the bus took a wrong turn near the flashpoint city of Homs.

"We confirm that an attack took place in Syria," a foreign ministry official told AFP, without giving any further information.