Supporters of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad have hurled stones and eggs at France's ambassador to the country.

The attack against Eric Chevallier took place on Saturday as he was leaving a meeting with the Greek Orthodox patriarch in Damascus.

Syria has been facing increased international pressure for its crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators. On Monday, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe accused the Syrian government of “crimes against humanity.”

Meanwhile, a new round of European Union sanctions against Damascus took effect on Saturday. The measures impose penalties on several Syrian entities. Earlier this week, several world leaders urged the U.N. Security Council to also put greater pressure on Mr. Assad's government.

The U.N. estimates that at least 2,700 people have been killed in the Syrian government's crackdown on dissent.

In another development, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country has seized a Syrian-flagged ship possibly carrying weapons to Syria.

Turkish media reports say Mr. Erdogan told journalists, Friday, that Turkey would intercept and seize any type of arms shipment bound for Syria. He said that applies to shipments by land, sea and air.

He did not give specific information about the Syrian ship that was seized, its cargo or when or where it was stopped.