UN Confirms: 90 Civilians Killed in Syria Massacre

Six weeks after a supposed cease-fire, the UN has confirmed that pro-government forces killed at least 90 civilians yesterday, including more than two dozen children, reports the BBC. The violence took place in and around the town of Houla, near Homs, after an anti-government protest. About a dozen people were killed in shelling and the rest when pro-regime groups known as shabiha stormed the neighborhood and raided homes, activists tell AP.

UN officials called the attacks "indiscriminate and unforgivable," and a "flagrant violation of international law." British Foreign Secretary William Hague has promised to seek a severe global response to the "appalling crime." But Syrian officials blamed the massacre on "terrorists"—their usual word for opposition forces, the New York Times reports. Grisly images have surfaced in amateur videos, one showing 14 dead children laid out in a room, notes AP. (More Syria stories.)