Syrians Fear Ground Assault in Beseiged City of Homs

(Sky News) - Government forces rained down shells and heavy artillery on the besieged city of Homs Thursday in the sixth day of a relentless assault that rebels feared was the precursor to a pincer attack.

With opposition activists putting the death toll for the day at more than 70, and for the past week at 400, residents said they were desperate for safe shelter.

In Washington, President Barack Obama condemned the "outrageous bloodshed" in Syria. In comments after White House talks with Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti, Obama also reiterated calls for President Bashar al Assad to step down.

British Prime Minister David Cameron, on a visit to Stockholm, said Assad's regime appeared "hell-bent" on killing its own citizens and called the scenes of destruction in Homs "appalling."

In the Baba Amr district of Homs, Syria's third largest city, Dr. Ali Hazuri told AFP by telephone, "The shells are raining down on us and regime forces are using heavy artillery."

Omar Shaker, an activist in Baba Amr also reached by phone, added that residents were hiding on ground floors as there were no underground shelters.

"When you venture outside, you can see craters every 10 meters (yards)," he said.

Another Homs resident told Sky News, "The humanitarian state is horrible -- nothing is available. No electricity, no communication, no food, no water, and the biggest problem is, I think, there is no first aid, no medicine."

A Sky News correspondent reporting from outside Homs said rebel fighters in the Free Syrian Army were expecting an imminent change of tactics by government fighters and believed an attack was coming soon in a pincer movement.

Sky said there were reports of at least 40 tanks and 50 infantry fighting vehicles along with 1,000 government soldiers being deployed inside Homs.

Despite the relentless bloodshed, activists urged Syrians to turn out for a big demonstration against Russia on Friday, a traditional day of protests that follow the main weekly Muslim prayers, AFP said.

"Russia is killing our children. Its planes, tanks and veto are also killing our children," said a banner on the Facebook page of The Syrian Revolution 2011.

Russia, along with China, last weekend vetoed a UN Security Council resolution calling on Assad to step down.