Syrian activists say several rocket-propelled grenades hit a ruling Baath Party building in Damascus Sunday, not long before the Arab League rejected amendments from President Bashar al-Assad's government to a plan that would end Syria's deepening crisis.
The Local Coordination Committees activist network and several residents reported numerous explosions in the center of the Syrian capital. They said fire trucks were headed to the area amid a heavy police presence. There was no immediate verification of the reports, and other eyewitnesses saw no signs of damage.
The Free Syrian Army, a group of dissident soldiers based in neighboring Turkey, claimed responsibility for the attack.
If confirmed, it would be the first significant assault on a government building in the Syrian capital since the anti-government uprising began in March. The reported incident occurred hours after an Arab League deadline passed for Damascus to end the bloodshed.
The League Sunday rejected a request to amend plans that would send a 500-strong monitoring mission to Syria to assess the situation there. The Cairo-based organization told Mr. Assad's government its proposals were not acceptable as they would introduce “drastic changes” to the observers' mandate.
The 22-member Arab League suspended Syria's membership earlier this month.
Meanwhile, in an interview published in Britain's Sunday Times newspaper, Mr. Assad vowed he would not “bow down” to international pressure to ease his brutal crackdown against “militants” who he says are massacring Syrians on a daily basis.
The embattled president said citizens would vote in February or March for parliament to create a new constitution. He also repeated earlier warnings that any foreign military intervention in Syria would “shake the entire Middle East.”
On Saturday, activists said at least 15 people were killed across the country, mostly in fresh raids by security forces. At least two army deserters died in clashes in Homs.
The state-run SANA news agency said authorities raided the “hideouts of terrorists groups” Saturday and arrested more than 140 “wanted men.”
Meanwhile, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Syria was responsible for the deteriorating relations between the two countries. He accused Syria of not fulfilling promises to Turkey, the Arab League and to the world for reform or to stop the bloodshed
Damascus has been facing mounting international pressure to end the unrest that the U.N. says has resulted in more than more than 3,500 deaths.
Meanwhile, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said he would meet with Syrian rebel leaders in London Monday. Hague has condemned the violence and called for Mr. Assad to step aside.
