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Tension stays high in Syria

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad waves to supporters in the street after addressing parliament on March 30, 2011 in Damascus, Syria. UPI
1 of 3 | Syrian President Bashar al-Assad waves to supporters in the street after addressing parliament on March 30, 2011 in Damascus, Syria. UPI | License Photo

DAMASCUS, Syria, May 2 (UPI) -- The people hunted down and arrested by Syrian army and security forces are armed terrorists, an official army source told the state-run news agency SANA.

The source told SANA scores of armed terrorists blamed for killings and destruction in Daraa have been rounded up so far. The source said large caches of weapons and ammunition have been found buried throughout the city.

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But al-Jazeera reports the Syrian military has raided several homes in Daraa and other cities, arresting human-rights activists.

The Los Angeles Times said the military has beefed up its forces around Daraa as its weeklong siege goes on. The newspaper said telephone lines, electricity and water supplies to the city have been cut off.

The unrest that has roiled Syria recently has been stoked by Western media reports, writer Aneesa Abboud said Monday at a symposium organized by the Syrian Satellite Channel, SANA said.

He, along with journalist-writer Ismael Morowa called on educated Syrians to play a greater role in calming the situation.

Paul Khalifa, editor-in-chief of the Lebanese magazine "Magazine," said U.S. interference in the region has come after Washington sustained major defeats in recent years.

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