Syria attacks 'sign of worsening relations between religious groups', say activists

Damascus, May 14 (ANI): Syrian forces have killed at least five people in a Sunni farming village, torching homes and looting shops, which according to activists is a sign of worsening relations among the nation's religious groups.

The raid against the impoverished village of al-Tamana, near the city of Hama, began late Saturday and continued through the early hours on Sunday.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said five people were killed in the raid and government troops were setting fire to homes.

According to Fox News, tensions arising from the 14-month-old uprising against President Bashar Assad's regime also touched off clashes across the border in Lebanon.

Residents in Lebanon said running gunbattles broke out in the city on Saturday and continued through Sunday morning, primarily between a neighborhood populated by Sunni Muslims opposed to Assad and another area with many Assad backers from his Alawite Sect.

According to the report, the relentless violence further undermines a UN-backed peace plan that is supposed to bring an end to Syria's deadly crisis.

A cease-fire that was supposed to begin on April 12 has had only a limited effect, throwing into doubt the rest of the plan that calls for talks between Assad's regime and those seeking to end his rule. (ANI)