Judge Assassinated in Syria

The violence in Syria continues its downward spiral as a judge and a provincial attorney general were assassinated Sunday in Idlib province. Attorney General Nidal Ghazal, Judge Mohammed Ziyadeh, and their driver were shot and killed on their way to work. The state-run Syrian Arab News Agency said it was the work of an “armed terrorist group,” but the opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights called them “unknown assailants.” The opposition has called for a "day of defiance" Sunday after soldiers fired on mourners Saturday, but so far security forces have clamped down on the capital to prevent the protests. Meanwhile, Egypt has withdrawn its ambassador to Damascus and decided Sunday to keep him in Cairo “until further notice.”