Syrian army kills 28 civilians in protest cities, group says - New York News | NYC Breaking News

DARAA, Syria -- Army shelling and gunfire killed at least 28 civilians in protest towns on Saturday, a watchdog said, as Russia pushed its idea of an international conference including Iran to end the bloodshed in Syria. 

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also stressed that Moscow would "not sanction the use of force at the United Nations Security Council." 

His proposal came as worldwide anger grows over the crackdown by Syrian President Bashar al Assad's regime on a revolt in which more than 13,500 people, mostly civilians, have been killed since March 2011. 

Nine women and three children were among 17 people killed in a pre-dawn bombardment of a residential neighborhood in the southern city of Daraa, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. 

Dozens more were wounded, some of them seriously, the British-based watchdog said. 

In nearby Jordan, hundreds of Syrian refugees demonstrated to protest against the deaths in Daraa, Jordan's official Petra news agency reported. 

Meanwhile, UN observers who visited the village of Qubair, where at least 55 people were killed earlier this week, said they saw blood on the walls and "a strong stench of burnt flesh." 

The Qubair incident prompted Western governments to launch a push for tough new sanctions against Damascus. 

Diplomats in New York said Britain, France and the United States would quickly draw up a Security Council resolution proposing sanctions against Syria. But Russia, along with China, has already vetoed two similar resolutions. 

Russia on Saturday pushed the idea of an international conference, with the Syria's ally Iran also given a place at the table despite US opposition. 

Russia has said a conference on Syria was needed to overcome differences over how the peace plan of UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan should be implemented.