Escalation

Tanks Roll Into Daraa

Day after Syrian government killed 65.

Those sanctions didn't seen to faze Syrian President Bashar Assad. A day after killing at least 65 people in a brutal crackdown on protesters, Assad sent armored reinforcements into the city of Daraa on Saturday. The new forces appear to have taken the Omari mosque, which had been under the control of residents since Monday. Witnesses say four residents were killed in the assault on the mosque. At least 535 civilians have been killed in Assad's crackdown on demonstrators since protests began six weeks ago, following the arrest of several teens for drawing graffiti in Daraa. On Friday the White House announced sanctions against three senior officials, including a brother and a cousin of Assad. Despite Assad's violence toward civilians, the United States has been moving cautiously against the Syrian leader, partly because he is better-connected than Gaddafi, and a destabilized Syria would have implications for Iraq, Lebanon, Israel, and other countries in the region.