Syrian troops pound rebel bastions, activists say

Syrian troops Wednesday bombarded rebel strongholds in the centre of the country, killing at least five people, opposition activists said, dpa reported.

In the province of Homs, government forces shelled the neighbourhoods of al- Khalidiyeh, Jouret al-Jouz and al Kussair, killing at least three civilians, activist Haytham al-Abdallah said.

Abu Alaa, a commander in the rebel Free Syrian Army in Homs, told dpa that government forces were using rocket launchers and helicopters in al-Kussair.

Syrian activists based in northern Lebanon said columns of black smoke were seen rising from al-Kussair, which is very close to the Lebanese border.

Government troops also shelled areas in Hama, killing a man and his wife, the opposition Syrian observatory for Human Rights reported.

The surge in violence came hours after the chief of peace observers in Syria told the UN Security Council that his team would remain in the country until a political solution was reached.