BBC News with Fiona MacDonald
The Syrian government has continued major assaults against opposition strongholds in the suburbs of Damascus and other cities like Homs and Hama with at least 40 people reported to have been killed today. Meanwhile, the White House said discussions were continuing with Russia since Moscow still says it will veto any United Nations Security Council resolution calling on President Assad to step down. From Washington, Paul Adams.
Hillary Clinton said the UN Security Council must make it clear to the Syrian government that the world regards its actions as a threat to peace and security. The international community, she said, should send a clear message to the Syrian people: "We stand with you." At the White House, meanwhile, the president's spokesman Jay Carney said Bashar al-Assad's fall was inevitable and governments needed to
bear this in mind
when deciding where they stood. He didn't point the finger directly at Moscow, but he said that those who prop up what he called a brutal
regime
would find themselves in a small minority.
The United States has confirmed that several US citizens have taken refuge in the American embassy in Cairo following moves by Egypt against foreign-funded pro-democracy groups. A White House spokesman said the US had made clear its disappointment over the issue to Egypt's governing military council. Jon Leyne reports from Cairo.
This is the latest twist in a growing