moon said on Wednesday Syria's crisis was highly alarming and had “massive repercussions” for the world, as heavy fighting raged in the Syrian capital Damascus. The uprising that began a year ago has transformed into an armed insurgency that is pushing the country toward civil war. Because of Syria's close alliances with Iran and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, there are deep concerns that the violence could spread beyond its borders, especially if other nations arm the rebels or send in their own troops. “We do not know how events will unfold. But we do know that we all have a responsibility to work for a resolution of this profound and extremely dangerous crisis,” Ban said in a speech in the Indonesian capital Jakarta. Syria lies in a pivotal position at the heart of a web of regional conflicts in the Middle East, comprising a mix of faiths, sects and ethnic groups, and diplomats fear the 12-month uprising is degenerating into a full-blown civil war. Forces loyal to President Bashar Al-Assad have made gains against rebels around the country in recent weeks, but the violence shows no sign of abating, with reports on Wednesday of several army offensives. Opposition activists said the army turned tank, artillery and anti-aircraft guns on the Damascus suburbs of Harasta and Irbin on Wednesday, which were retaken from rebels two months ago but have seen renewed insurgency in recent days. The rebel Free Syrian Army, which includes thousands of army defectors, is the most potent armed group challenging the regime, but it is outgunned and disorganized. Still, few countries are openly considering arming the opposition, fearing that it would make the conflict worse. The UN estimates that more than 8,000 people have been killed since the uprising began. Artillery shells targeted the rebel town of Rastan, north of Homs city, in the center of Syria, and Qalat Mudiq, northwest of Hama city, where an armored personnel carrier came under fire. One soldier was killed in the attack, activists said. Video footage showed shelling of the ancient Apamea castle at Qalat Mudiq. Reports from Syria cannot be independently verified because the authorities have barred access to rights groups and journalists. Despite advances on the ground, Assad appeared to suffer a setback on the diplomatic front, with key ally Moscow adopting a new, sharper tone after months of standing by his government. “We believe the Syrian leadership reacted wrongly to the first appearance of peaceful protests and ... is making very many mistakes,” Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told Russian radio station Kommersant-FM on Tuesday. Lavrov also spoke of a “future transition” period for Syria, but continued to reject calls from most Western and Arab states for Assad to resign, saying this was “unrealistic”.
