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http://www.nowlebanon.com Syrian troops blast Homs, residents plead for help An activist in the Homs Old City, reached via Skype on Wednesday, said the district was "totally surrounded." "There is no way out. Our situation is so bad it makes anyone cry," said the activist, who identified himself as Abu Bilal. "The field hospitals are full of injured people needing operations and who need to be evacuated. There is no way out at all, at all." The Old City neighborhood of Homs has been under total siege by the army for more than four months. According to the Observatory, thousands of civilians remain trapped in the Old City and other besieged, rebel-held districts of the city rebels refer to as "the capital of the revolution." "We call on the International Committee of the Red Cross, and on the Red Crescent, to come to our assistance," said Abu Bilal. The ICRC made several failed attempts in the early summer to enter into Homs. The army and rebels exchanged blame for a failed ceasefire, a prerequisite for the mission's entry to evacuate wounded and civilians. In Qusayr, the situation was "terrible" overnight, activist Hadi al-Abdallah told AFP via Skype on Wednesday. "People are afraid of what might happen if the army enters into the rebel-held areas of Qusayr. They say they would prefer to die in the shelling than be executed by the army," said Abdallah. Qusayr has been in rebel hands – and under siege – since September last year. The Observatory says thousands of people are trapped in the town, and that the only way out is via secret tunnels. "There is no way out for anyone here," said Abdallah.
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