Syria's President Bashar Assad has removed the country's defense minister and replaced him with the army chief of staff, according to Syria's state-run news agency. The change, one of several in key government posts, comes during Syria's "brutal crackdown on a five-month-old uprising" against Assad, the AP reports.
That crackdown is bringing pressure on Syria and Assad from nearly all quarters. As Eyder reported earlier, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have now recalled their ambassadors. Here's a quick rundown of other developments:
A new military offensive that was part of the crackdown continued until around noon Monday, according to reports.
Details have been scarce, as Syria has also tightened restrictions on the media. But Al-Jazeera collected some accounts, reporting that in the eastern city of Deir ez-Zor, "the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that security forces had shot dead a mother and her two children fleeing the assault."
That city was reportedly stormed by soldiers and tanks early Monday morning, just as the call to prayer brought people out into the streets.
"We have just been speaking to activists in Deir ez-Zor," al-Jazeera's Nisreen el-Shamayleh said, "and right now as we speak several snipers are controlling the top of buildings in the heart of the city."
The BBC summarizes the broader situation like this, with an important caveat:
Human rights activists say at least 1,700 civilians have been killed and tens of thousands arrested since the uprising began in mid-March. More than 300 people are believed to have died in the past week alone.
Access to Syria has been severely restricted for international journalists and it is rarely possible to verify accounts by witnesses and activists.
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