BEIRUT, May 12 (Reuters) – Rebels fought the army in northern Syria on Saturday, activists said, and Syrian dissidents abroad gathered to try to unify and project themselves as a credible alternative to President Bashar al-Assad.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported fighting in Idlib province, on Syria’s northern border with Turkey and a hotspot of the 14-month-old revolt against Assad’s rule.
“Violent clashes are raging between Syrian regime forces and armed military defectors … The sounds of strong explosions were heard followed by security forces using heavy and medium machinegun fire,” the British-based Observatory said.
Violence has rumbled on despite a ceasefire declared a month ago by international envoy Kofi Annan and the presence of a U.N. monitoring mission now with about 150 observers on the ground.
Opposition leaders abroad flew to Rome to try to strengthen their fractured Syrian National Council (SNC), which is seeking international help in the struggle against Assad.
