Syria TV releases Homs attack footage
- 12 years ago
**Warning: Edit contains graphic images**
An explosion tears through the streets of Homs.
This is footage released by Syrian TV on Thursday of an attack the previous day which killed at least 9 people.
Among those killed was French reporter Giles Jacquier - the first Western journalist to die in Syria's 10-month unrest.
Jacquier was on a government sanctioned visit to a pro-Assad neighbourhood of the city which has been gripped by protests and bloody crackdowns.
Syria's state news agency said the victims died in a mortar attack by what they called "terrorists".
Government critics suspect the authorities staged this attack to reinforce their claim that Syria is facing an insurgency of foreign backed militants, not a broad pro-democracy revolt.
Syria barred most foreign media from the country soon after demonstrations against President Bashar al-Assad's rule began in March.
But more reporters have been admitted since the Arab League sent a monitoring mission to check if the authorities were complying with an Arab plan to halt the bloodshed.
One monitor who quit the team saying the Syrian regime was manipulating the mission said on Thursday that several other Arab League monitors have left Syria or may soon do so because they were failing.
Simon Hanna, Reuters.
An explosion tears through the streets of Homs.
This is footage released by Syrian TV on Thursday of an attack the previous day which killed at least 9 people.
Among those killed was French reporter Giles Jacquier - the first Western journalist to die in Syria's 10-month unrest.
Jacquier was on a government sanctioned visit to a pro-Assad neighbourhood of the city which has been gripped by protests and bloody crackdowns.
Syria's state news agency said the victims died in a mortar attack by what they called "terrorists".
Government critics suspect the authorities staged this attack to reinforce their claim that Syria is facing an insurgency of foreign backed militants, not a broad pro-democracy revolt.
Syria barred most foreign media from the country soon after demonstrations against President Bashar al-Assad's rule began in March.
But more reporters have been admitted since the Arab League sent a monitoring mission to check if the authorities were complying with an Arab plan to halt the bloodshed.
One monitor who quit the team saying the Syrian regime was manipulating the mission said on Thursday that several other Arab League monitors have left Syria or may soon do so because they were failing.
Simon Hanna, Reuters.