We’re extremely concerned by reports indicating that a new massacre has been perpetrated in the region of Hama by the Syrian forces, which purportedly used tanks and helicopters to bomb the area of Tremseh, with the death toll reported to be at more than 150. This new crime, if it’s confirmed, reflects once again the Bashar al-Assad regime’s headlong pursuit of deadly violence, and demonstrates the urgent need for strong action on the part of the UN Security Council.

After 16 months of bloody repression which has resulted in the death of more than 17,000 people, tens of thousands of prisoners who have frequently been tortured, hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons and more than 100,000 refugees in neighboring countries, and massacres such as those in Houla and al-Qubeir in particular, it’s clear that Bashar al-Assad must leave so that a political transition can take place. The Friends of the Syrian People group, which represents half of the world’s countries, unequivocally stated this at the meeting in Paris on July 6. Everyone must now understand this and facilitate the transition.