BBC News with Kathy Clugston

As fighting rages in many parts of Syria between the army and rebels, the United Nations envoy Kofi Annan has expressed grave concern at the escalating violence and the government's use of heavy weapons. He said many civilians were

trapped

. The United States said it feared the Syrian government was preparing a new massacre in al-Haffa in Latakia province. Jim Muir reports from Beirut.

Kofi Annan has clearly alarmed that the ceasefire he brought about in April has gone completely up

in flames

. He expressed grave concern, in particular, at the heavy bombardment of Homs by government artillery and the army's use of tanks and attack helicopters in Latakia province near the coast. These are all weapons Mr Annan wanted to see withdrawn to

barracks

as the very first steps in a

pacification

process. The United Nations military observers confirmed that attack helicopters were being used against Rastan, a rebel-held town just to the north of Homs.

A convoy carrying the British ambassador to Libya has been attacked in Libya's second city Benghazi. An embassy spokesman described the incident as serious and said two protection officers were injured. Reports say the convoy was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade close to the British consulate office. There's been a spate of recent attacks against foreign targets in Libya. Last week, a roadside bomb went off near the US embassy in Benghazi.