At least 44 people were killed, including two children inshelling in Daraa, the cradle of the revolution in the south of Syria, awatchdog said, as the United Nations brought an end to its troubled observermission in the country.
New international envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, who has said he isnot confident of being able to restore peace, warned yesterday that it was nowa matter of ending rather than avoiding a civil war after 17 months ofbloodshed.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported continuedfighting on the second day of Eid al-Fitr, the holiday celebrated by Muslimsaround the world to mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
It said clashes erupted between rebels and government troopsin Daraa after several areas were shelled, killing 15 people, including twochildren.
Government forces using combat helicopters, tanks and heavyartillery have also been carrying out "savage" attacks on Herak, theopposition Syrian National Council said, warning of a humanitarian catastropheas supplies of food and medicines run out.
Fighting also flared in several southern parts of Damascusas the army battles persistent pockets of resistance despite claiming it hadretaken most of the capital last month.
The Observatory said troops backed by helicopters alsopounded several areas of the northern city of Aleppo, including the Salaheddinneighbourhood where much of the regime's military operations against the rebelshave been focused.
The commercial capital has emerged as the epicentre of theconflict since rebels seized large swathes of the city in an offensive launchedon July 20. Government officials have said it will be the "mother of allbattles."
Fighting was also reported near the city's military tribunaland the local headquarters of the ruling Baath party, the watchdog said.
The unrelenting violence saw demonstrators take to thestreets of the capital and other cities yesterday to vent their rage atPresident Bashar al-Assad, as he made a rare public appearance for Eid prayers.
UN observers wound up their troubled mission at midnightyesterday amid a failure by world powers to agree how to respond to Assad'scrackdown and bring peace to the strategic Middle East state.
Created by a UN Security Council resolution adopted inApril, the team of some 300 observers was progressively deployed as part ofthen UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan's six-point plan to end the conflict.
Much of its operations in the field were suspended in Juneand its numbers cut back in the face of the mounting violence, as both sidesviolated a ceasefire that was meant to have been the cornerstone of Annan'splan.
The end of the mission came just days after the veteranAlgerian diplomat Brahimi was named to replace Annan.
