News

Army defectors have reportedly crossed over to fight alongside opposition forces in northern Syria. But the government insists they're armed gangs threatening the public, not revolutionaries.

The conflict has already claimed more than 3,000 lives, UN rights chief Navanethem Pillay said on Friday. At least 187 of them are children.

The latest violence resulted in at least twelve deaths, according to human rights groups. They say thousands of protesters are continuing rallies against President Bashar Assad.

­On Thursday, the media was given supervised access to the city of Al Rastan, where government troops have been fighting alledged army defectors. RT's Tesa Arcilla was among those invited.

About 180 kilometers north of Damascus lies the city of Al Rastan, the scene of five days of deadly clashes between security forces and protesters, in which at least 30 people have died.