Russia and China vetoed United Nations sanctions against Syria on Thursday, dealing a blow to special envoy Kofi Annan's plans for peace as the capital descended into fighting. Syrian troops have launched a fresh offensive against rebels in Damascus on Thursday, with hundreds of residents fleeing the city amid heavy shelling just one day after three top officials in President Bashar al-Assad's regime were killed by an explosion inside a government building. The Syrian president has yet to make a statement or even a public appearance since the bombing, but Syrian state television has shown footage of Assad swearing in the new defense minister.
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