Residents: Syrian forces in border city

Lebanese and Syrian anti-Assad demonstrators protest in the Lebanese city of Tripoli on Friday.Zabadani residents had held protests calling for Assad's ousterResident: Troops round up people indiscriminatelyOn Saturday, hundreds of Syrian exiles gathered in Turkey to show unityHillary Clinton expresses support for the opposition

(CNN) -- Syrian forces moved into a city near the Lebanese border Sunday, detaining dozens of people, residents said.

Tanks rumbled in before dawn into Zabadani, about 25 miles north of Damascus.Residents of the city had called for the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad in several demonstrations since anti-government protests took hold of the country four months ago.

One resident, who did not want his name used for fear of reprisal, said troops rounded up people indiscriminately -- including several who were waiting by the side of a street to go to work.

The troops then set up checkpoints around the city. People, he said, are afraid to leave their homes.

Another said phone services and electricity to the city has been cut off. He too confirmed the raids and the detentions.

On Saturday, hundreds of exiled Syrian activists met in Istanbul and elected a 25-member council as they sought to declare unity in their intention to oust Assad.

The National Salvation Council, composed of independents, liberals, Islamists and members of other parties, will serve as an umbrella organization representing various factions of the Syrian opposition -- sometimes seen as fractured in their demands.

"Bashar al-Assad is finished," said Haitham al-Maleh, a political prisoner who was released from jail in March in an attempt to appease protesters. "He must leave the country, leave the power. We want to build our government, our regime, without them.

"We will move together to be one opposition ... because you know we spent 50 years under a dictatorship," he said. "The civil society in Syria is finished. Now we are building ourselves for the future."

The Syrian National Salvation conference -- attended by about 350 opposition members -- unfolded as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who was also in Istanbul for meetings with Turkish officials, expressed support for the opposition.

"What's happening in Syria is very uncertain and troubling, because many of us had hoped that President Assad would make the reforms that were necessary without seeing what we're now seeing in the streets of Syria, which are government tanks and soldiers shooting peaceful demonstrators," she said.

"There must be a legitimate, sincere effort with the opposition to try to make changes," she said. "I don't know whether that will happen or not."

Some opposition members were frustrated at what they perceived as a lack of response from the international community and hoped that a united Syrian opposition would ratchet up pressure on al-Assad.

"The international community seems to be still dancing around the issue of the Assad regime losing legitimacy and that could be due to a number of reasons," said M. Yaser Tabbara, a Syrian-American human rights lawyer.

"I think what we're trying to do is send these reassurances to the international community that a credible, competent council or body is being formed, and that we do not have to worry anymore about a vacuum of power or a vacuum for an alternative."

He said the Syrian opposition wants world powers to choke the regime economically, politically and diplomatically "to achieve a point of no return."

A similar opposition meeting was to have taken place in Damascus but because of violence Friday, the meeting was canceled. However, two prominent activists were able to connect to Istanbul via Skype and telephone.

But despite efforts to maintain a united front, there was disagreement still over whether to push for the ouster of al-Assad or to work to promote reforms within the current framework. And a banner that read the "Syrian Arab Republic" drew the ire of the Kurdish delegation for the inclusion of the word, Arab.

Also Saturday, at least one person was killed when Syrian security forces opened fire on protesters in the eastern town of Albu Kamal, according to the activist group Local Coordination Committees in Syria.

State television said, however, that "armed groups" attacked a police station, a mayor's home and other government sites in Albu Kamal and that two policeman was killed. It said a number of guards were injured.

At least 21 civilians and one soldier were killed Friday in demonstrations. Sixteen of the fatalities occurred in Damascus and its suburbs, one in Homs, three in Idlib and one in Daraa, said Rami Abelrahman, director of the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Videos that allegedly showed the funeral processions for those killed were posted Saturday on Facebook pages belonging to Syrian activists. They showed people marching on the streets, carrying coffins and chanting slogans against the regime of Bashar al-Assad.

Protesters echoed the demands for reforms that they have voiced for months.

CNN's Hamdi Alkhshali, Yesim Comert and Mohammed Jamjoom contributed to this report.

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Minot residents told to evacuate ahead of expected flooding

(CNN) -- Residents in Minot, North Dakota, have until Wednesday evening to leave their homes after authorities ordered the evacuation of some 12,000 people from the area because of expected record flooding.

Minot, located in the north-central part of the state, is the fourth-largest city in North Dakota.

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The swollen Souris River flows straight through the city and is expected to overwhelm area levees, said Cecily Fong, spokeswoman for the North Dakota Department of Emergency Services.

"It's really historic proportions of water," Fong said late Tuesday night.

The evacuation order covers a third of the community's population, Fong said. Residents have until 6 p.m. Wednesday to leave.

"The river is rising faster than expectations, so they (city officials) are kind of scrambling to shore up levees and do what they can," Fong said.

The National Weather Service has forecast record flooding and urged anyone living in the affected areas to prepare immediately for oncoming floodwaters. Heavy area rains and dam releases are causing the river to swell at Minot.

"The current best estimate for when water will overtop the lowest dikes in the Minot area is sometime on Thursday afternoon. However, a Wednesday night or early Thursday timeframe cannot be ruled out as the dikes become more stressed due to rising water," the weather service said.

The river at Minot, which currently stands at close to 1,555 feet above sea level, is forecast to rise to 1,559 feet on Friday or Saturday -- which would be a new record. The river hit 1,558 feet above sea level in 1881.

The Souris River looks like a "U." It swoops in and out of North Dakota from Canada.

CNN's Richard Benson contributed to this report.

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Fire-displaced residents in Arizona community return

Alpine, nestled among aspen and spruce, will reopen at 10 a.m., according to the Apache County Sheriff's Office.Residents of eastern Arizona hamlet alllowed homeThey were forced to flee large Wallow fireRed-flag alerts make for critical fire conditions in Arizona, New Mexico

Tucson, Arizona (CNN) -- Residents of a picturesque mountain community will be allowed to return home Saturday amid continued progress against a massive eastern Arizona wildfire.

Alpine, nestled among aspen and spruce, will reopen at 10 a.m., according to the Apache County Sheriff's Office. The community has a population of about 300, but many more seasonal visitors were forced to leave earlier this month.

The Wallow Fire, at 500,409 acres, was 38% contained.

A red-flag alert through the weekend indicates firefighting conditions may prove difficult. Wind gusts could top 40 miles per hour.

The 200-plus residents of Nutrioso, not far from Alpine, were allowed to go home Wednesday.

Conditions will be especially difficult Sunday at the Monument fire just south of Sierra Vista, Arizona, according to Glenn Lader of the National Weather Service office in Tucson. The blaze grew dramatically Friday, racing down from canyons and gobbling parched grasslands and brush.

Relentless winds have spread the 19,335-acre fire that has torched at least 40 homes and forced the evacuation of hundreds. It was 15% contained Saturday morning.

The Monument fire has spread across the Huachuca Mountains near the Mexican border.

The area is known as the "Sky Islands" region.

"These mountain 'islands,' forested ranges separated by vast expanses of desert and grassland plains, are among the most diverse ecosystems in the world," according to the Sky Island Alliance, a conservation group.

Garry Foss, who operates Oaks of the Wild West nursery in Hereford, a community just east of the fire, said grasses 2 to 3 feet tall have not seen rain since December, making for a ready fire fuel source.

Sierra Vista, home to the Army's Fort Huachuca, has had 0.13 inches of rain this year, according to Lader, compared with 2.5 to 3 inches in a normal year. There's no rain in the forecast.

"I'm trying to sit it out," Foss said, adding that he now has to drive east to Bisbee and northwest to reach Sierra Vista. "This grass is so dry."

Much of Highway 92 south of Sierra Vista was ordered closed. A brush fire was reported on Fort Huachuca.

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, meanwhile, issued emergency declarations for the Monument fire and another blaze, Horseshoe II, making Cochise County eligible for $100,000 toward response and recovery expenses.

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Syrian tanks storm town near Turkey border: residents (Reuters)

AMMAN (Reuters) – Syrian troops and gunmen loyal to President Bashar al-Assad stormed a town near the Turkish border Saturday, burning houses and arresting 70 people, witnesses said, in wide-ranging military assault to crush a three month uprising.

"They came at 7 a.m. to Bdama. I counted nine tanks, 10 armored carriers, 20 jeeps and 10 buses. I saw shabbiha (gunmen) setting fire to two houses," said Saria Hammouda, a lawyer from the small town of Bdama.

The town lies 2 km from the Turkish border, in Jisr al-Shughour region, from where thousands of people have fled to Turkey following military assaults to quell dissent against 41 years of Assad family rule.

(Reporting by Khaled Yacoub Oweis; editing by David Stamp)

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Lebanon sends troops after residents clash on Syria (Reuters)

BEIRUT (Reuters) – Lebanon's army clamped down on two sectarian districts of a northern city on Saturday after a rally in support of anti-government protestors in Syria triggered deadly clashes between rival gunmen.

Troops manned checkpoints and searched cars and houses in Tripoli's Bab al-Tebbaneh neighborhood, a Sunni Muslim stronghold, and Jabal Mohsen neighborhood, whose residents hail from the same Alawite sect as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

The communities' long-running feud erupted into violence on Friday after dozens of people took to Tripoli's Nour Square to show support for a three-month-old Syrian revolt that has drawn bloody crackdowns by Assad's government.

Security sources said between four and seven people, among them a boy and a soldier, were killed as street fighters attacked each other with assault rifles and grenades. At least 48 people were wounded.

In a statement, the army said it had "returned the situation to normal" and was enforcing a ban on residents carrying guns.

"The army leadership affirms (that) it will not be lax with those who toy with security and who were the reason behind both civilian and military casualties."

Assad's domestic challenges have been watched warily in neighboring Lebanon, where sectarian tensions have often been inflamed by Syrian involvement.

Damascus's clout was especially strong during the Syrian military presence in Lebanon between 1976 and 2005, which also helped the standing of the small local Alawite community.

Since last month, northern Lebanon has seen an influx of Syrians fleeing an assault by Assad's forces on the border village of Tel Kelakh.

(Writing by Yara Bayoumy; Editing by Dan Williams)

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Arizona residents evacuated by wildfire allowed to go home

(CNN) -- After 13 days of staying in campers, trailers or with out-of-town relatives to escape a raging wildfire, the 200-plus residents of Nutrioso, Arizona, will be allowed to go home Wednesday morning.

Officials with an interagency team fighting a massive blaze in eastern Arizona said late Tuesday the evacuation order issued June 2 for Nutrioso had been lifted. Those carrying forms of identification showing they live in Nutrioso will be allowed to return to the town after 10 a.m. Wednesday, officials said.

The decision to lift the order came at the end of a day in which the blaze was officially recorded as the worst wildfire in Arizona history and firefighters claimed to have made significant strides in containing it.

The Wallow Fire, which has scorched more than 733 square miles in eastern Arizona and western New Mexico, was 20% contained as of late Tuesday, officials said.

"The fire line around Nutrioso is a nice black," said Peter Frenzen, a spokesman for the Southwest Incident Management team, which is fighting the blaze. "That's just testimony to the tremendous work going on around all the threatened communities."

The black on a map signifies that the fire has been stopped outside of the town.

"I was totally surprised," Nutrioso evacuee Alan Miller told CNN affiliate KNXV after learning the evacuation order had been lifted. "I was sitting in my seat squirming. I want to go out there now but I can't do it until tomorrow."

"That feels good," Nutrioso evacuee Dave Derker told the affiliate. "I want to go home."

The blaze has raged throughout the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest since May 29. KNXV reported Tuesday night that fire investigators suspect the blaze was started by a campfire.

"I looks like it was a campfire, and we've got a couple of people of interest that we're talking to right now," U.S. Forest Service spokesman Christopher Knoff told KNXV. The names of those people have not been released.

As crews gained ground on the Wallow Fire, firefighters on Tuesday battled another blaze that has burned 5,200 acres in southwest Arizona.

The so-called Monument Fire, which according to fire officials broke out Sunday afternoon, has threatened the homes of 120 residents and 30 outbuildings. It was 10% contained, Katy Hooper of the National Park Service said Tuesday.

Across Arizona, high temperatures, strong winds and an extended stretch of very low humidity are fueling at least five fires, with a combined burn area that tops 250,000 acres.

Besides Wallow, the largest of the fires is the Horseshoe Two fire in southern Arizona, which started May 8. The blaze, which has so far scorched 171,333 acres, was 53% contained as of late Tuesday. Firefighters have said that blaze has been difficult to get ahead of because of the area's steep terrain and relative isolation.

The Wallow Fire has destroyed 32 homes and 36 outbuildings including sheds and barns. It has drawn 4,734 firefighters from Arizona and around the country. The blaze is the largest fire currently active in the United States, according to Inciweb, an interagency fire information service.

"The great news on this incident is we still have a total of seven injuries and they're all minor," Frenzen said late Tuesday.

Prior to Tuesday, the biggest wildfire on record in Arizona was the 2002 Rodeo-Chediski fire which scorched 722 square miles in Arizona.

Jayson Coil, a manager with the incident response team, said forecast winds from the northwest could fan flames in areas that have been previously sheltered from the fire and push the blaze south.

Fire teams are most closely focusing on the area north of Luna, New Mexico, and west to Alpine, Arizona, communities on the fire's eastern flank, Coil said.

Firefighters were working nine miles of fire line close to population centers in that high-priority section of the fire, he said. They were burning vegetation near the Luna Lake area Tuesday in a bid to strengthen and connect containment lines.

On the west side of the fire, commanders were focusing on shoring up containment lines around Burro Mountain and the Sunrise Ski Resort, Coil said.

"There's a line of mixed conifer where that line was put in, and because of that it's requiring a lot of extra suppression efforts," he said. "That mixed conifer holds (heat) for a long time."

Conditions around Greer, Arizona, also continued to improve, with power restored to the area, Coil said. But it is unclear when residents of that community might be allowed home. The evacuated residents of Alpine are also waiting to hear when they go home.

Regarding when the evacuation orders for Alpine and Greer might be lifted, ""We're talking a three-, four- or five-day time frame," Frenzen said.

Crews continued to patrol areas around Springerville and Eagar, where some burned-out areas began to smoke Monday because of the ultra-low humidity in the area, Coil said.

Residents were allowed to return to those communities, which are about 170 miles east-northeast of Phoenix, on Sunday.

CNN's Samuel Gardner III contributed to this report.

CNN

Syrian forces attack northern town, residents flee (Reuters)

AMMAN (Reuters) – Syrian tanks and helicopters stormed the town of Jisr al-Shughour on Sunday, residents said, and state television reported heavy clashes between army troops and gunmen opposed to President Bashar al-Assad.

More than 5,000 Syrian refugees have crossed the border and a UNHCR spokesman said the Red Crescent was preparing a fourth camp with room for 2,500 more. Witnesses said some 10,000 Syrians were sheltering near the border.

The assault on Jisr al-Shughour, astride a strategic road in northwest Syria, is the latest action by the armed forces to crush demands for political freedom and an end to oppression that pose an unprecedented challenge to Assad's 11-year rule.

Residents said earlier that most of the town's 50,000 people had fled toward the Turkish border about 20 kms away and tanks and helicopters were shelling and machinegunning the town.

Damascus has banned most foreign correspondents from the country, making it difficult to verify accounts of events.

"Heavy confrontations are raging between army units and members of armed organizations taking up positions in the surroundings of Jisr al-Shughour and inside it," state television said.

Army units defused bombs and explosive charges planted by gunmen on bridges and roads into the town, it said. "Two members of the armed organizations were killed, large numbers of them arrested, and lethal weapons in their possession were seized."

State television said the forces uncovered mass graves of security men killed and buried by armed groups in Jisr al-Shughour and said their bodies bore marks of "atrocities." It did not give details.

The government said last week that "armed gangs" had killed more than 120 security personnel in the town after large demonstrations there. Refugees and rights groups said the dead were mutinous soldiers, shot for refusing to fire on civilians.

"When the massacre happened in Jisr al-Shughour the army split, or they started fighting each other and blamed it on us," a woman refugee, who refused to give her name, told Turkish news channel NTV.

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A senior Western diplomat in Damascus told Reuters: "The official version is improbable. Most people had left Jisr al-Shughour after seeing the regime's scorched earth policy, shelling and the heavy use of armor in the valley."

"The refugee exodus into Turkey is continuing and the numbers are higher than those officially counted so far."

Asked if there were clashes in the town Mustapha, a 39-year-old mason who fled early on Sunday, told Reuters "What clashes? The army is shelling the town from tanks. Everyone has been fleeing.

"Even if we did have guns, what are they going to do in front of artillery? Syria is a tightly controlled dictatorship and all of a sudden the regime says Jisr al-Shughour is armed to the teeth. They are lying. They are punishing us for wanting freedom."

Residents said the army unit was commanded by Assad's brother Maher and was copying the tactics used in other centers to crush protesters demanding an end to Assad's autocratic rule.

The United States accused the Syrian government of creating a "humanitarian crisis" and called on it to halt its offensive and allow immediate access by the International Committee for the Red Cross to help refugees, detainees and the wounded.

Turkey has provided camps for refugees and sent the wounded to hospitals, but restricted access to the refugees, saying this is to protect their privacy.

Bassam, a tiler who fled to Turkey as troops approached the town, showed mobile phone camera footage of a dead man, between 18 and 25 years old, with a bullet wound in his leg, and a large exit wound in his stomach. He lay on a bloodied cloth.

Another picture showed a young man who had been shot in the head. He said the two were killed just outside Jisr al-Shughour by troops under the command of Maher.

"There are only a few people left. I escaped on my motorcycle through dirt tracks in the hills," he told Reuters.

He said troops burned wheat crops in three villages near Jisr al-Shughour in a scorched-earth policy aimed at crushing the resistance of protesters in the area.

Other refugees said troops killed or burned cows and sheep and burned crops on farmland around the village of Sarmaniya, south of Jisr al-Shughour.

The state news agency said "armed terrorist groups" had burned land in Idlib province as part of a sabotage scheme.

Human rights groups say security forces have killed more than 1,100 Syrian civilians in increasingly bloody efforts to suppress demonstrations calling for Assad's removal, political freedom and an end to corruption and poverty.

The Syrian protests were inspired by uprisings against other entrenched autocrats in the Arab world.

At the United Nations Russia and China snubbed Security Council talks called on Saturday to discuss a draft resolution condemning Syria's bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protesters, U.N. diplomats said.

Largely Sunni Muslim Turkey had backed Syria's ruling hierarchy -- members of the minority Alawite sect -- but has been increasingly critical of Assad's use of force to quell the protests.

Thousands of people were gathering on the Syrian side of the border, according to an activist helping coordinate the movement of refugees. "The border area has turned practically into a buffer zone," said Abu Fadi. "There are 7,000 to 10,000 people here now."

(Additional reporting by Alexandra Hudson in Guvecci, Turkey; editing by Tim Pearce)

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Residents fear army attack on north Syrian city (AP)

BEIRUT – Syrian activists say there are fears of a major military attack in a northern region where authorities said weekend clashes between armed men and government troops left 120 security forces dead.

The government has vowed to respond "decisively" to the violence in Jisr al-Shughour, triggering fears of an even more brutal crackdown by a regime known for ruthlessly crushing dissent.

One activist said on Tuesday there were reports from local residents that Syrian troops were preparing for an onslaught on the town of about 50,000 people near the border with Turkey. The activist spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.

Syria is determined to crush an uprising against President Bashar Assad. Rights group say more than 1,300 have been killed since the revolt began in mid-March.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

BEIRUT (AP) — Armed men killed 120 Syrian security forces and torched government buildings Monday in a northern region where troops have unleashed deadly assaults on protesters for days, Syria said. The government vowed to respond "decisively," hinting at an even more brutal crackdown by a regime known for ruthlessly crushing dissent.

If confirmed, the attack in the north would be a turning point in what so far has largely been a peaceful uprising threatening the 40-year rule of President Bashar Assad and his family.

Opposition activists were skeptical of the official casualty toll, saying the authorities were setting the stage for a new onslaught. But even they acknowledged there was fighting, although it was not clear who was involved. The government described the attackers as "armed gangs," a phrase it often uses to describe the protesters.

Communications were cut to the area around Jisr al-Shughour on Monday and the details of the attack were impossible to verify, but there have been unconfirmed reports by activists and residents in the past of Syrians and even mutinous troops fighting back against security forces.

Adnan Mahmoud, the chief government spokesman, acknowledged that Syrian forces had lost control of some areas for "intermittent periods of time" and said residents had appealed to the army to do what was necessary to restore security.

"We will deal strongly and decisively, and according to the law, and we will not be silent about any armed attack that targets the security of the state and its citizens," said Interior Minister Ibrahim Shaar.

The surprisingly high death toll among pro-regime troops would suggest some sort of major lashback against the crackdown against the uprising — though by whom was unknown because of the seal over the area. Regardless of who carried out Monday's attack, it shows new cracks in a rule that has held out through weekly protests of thousands of people.

Human rights activist Mustafa Osso said there were unconfirmed reports of a few soldiers who switched sides and were defending themselves against attacking security forces, but he said the reports suggest the mutiny is limited and "does not pose a threat to the unity of the army yet."

"The protesters have so far been peaceful and unarmed," said Osso.

A Syrian activist speaking on condition of anonymity said there were unconfirmed reports of infighting between security forces. "The situation is very foggy, it is unclear who is doing the shooting, but the situation is very serious and appears to be getting out of control," he said on condition of anonymity.

He said there were fears the army was preparing a major attack.

Before Monday's killings, the government and some human rights groups have said more than 160 soldiers and security forces had died in the uprising. The latest deaths marked by far the deadliest single strike against them.

The government's unusual admission of the death toll and loss of control appeared to set the stage for an even stronger action to crush a popular uprising that began in mid-March and poses a potent threat to the Assad regime.

State television added the armed groups carried out a "real massacre," mutilating some bodies and throwing others in the Orontes River.

Jisr al-Shughour, about 12 miles (20 kilometers) from the Turkish border, has been the latest focus of Syria's military, whose nationwide crackdown on the revolt has left more than 1,200 Syrians dead, activists say. The town was a stronghold of the country's banned Muslim Brotherhood in the 1980s. Human rights groups said at least 42 civilians have been killed there since Saturday.

Syria's government has a history of violent retaliation against dissent, including a three-week bombing campaign against the city of Hama that crushed an uprising there in 1982. Jisr al-Shughour itself came under government shelling in 1980, with a reported 70 people killed.

Assad's decision to allow pro-Palestinian protesters to storm the Israeli border twice in recent weeks indicates he may be trying to deflect focus from a serious crisis at home, and possibly divert international attention from a new crackdown. State television broadly carried Sunday's protest at the Golan Heights to the south frontier, which left as many as 23 people dead in fighting with Israeli forces, but it has not carried any footage of the protest, crackdown or ambush at the northern edge of Syria.

Monday's state television report said the officers were ambushed as they responded to calls from residents for protection from the armed groups. It said 20 policemen were initially killed, and then the groups blew up a post office and attacked a security post, killing other forces.

The report said the armed groups were hiding in homes and firing at security forces and civilians alike, using residents as human shields.

The TV reports could not be independently confirmed. The Syrian government has severely restricted the media and expelled foreign reporters, making it nearly impossible to independently verify events.

Details of the operations in Jisr al-Shughour and nearby Khan Sheikhoun have been sketchy and attempts to reach residents of the town were unsuccessful.

Ahead of Monday's report, another activist said gunmen had successfully kept security forces out of the area, but he had no details. Fearing retaliation, the activist requested anonymity.

A prominent activist in touch with a resident of Jisr al-Shughour said: "There are dozens of people killed and they are a mix of civilians, police and security forces in the past 24 hours.

"There are reports that security forces took a beating and there is armed resistance keeping them on the edges of the town," he said.

Amnesty International criticized Syria's "brutal treatment of protesters" and called on the UN Security Council to condemn the killings and refer Syria to the International Criminal Court.

"Those responsible for the brutal crackdown of pro-reform protesters must no longer be allowed to get away with murder," Philip Luther, Amnesty's deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa, said in a statement Monday.

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Fear in Syria: Secret Police Swarm Damascus, Say Residents (Time.com)

The capital of Syria has the illusion of calm. But do not trust appearances. In fact, trust is a very precious commodity in Damascus nowadays. The city, according to residents, is swarming with secret police. Nobody dares speak out against the government. In central districts of the capital, the number of street peddlers seems to have quadrupled. The scuttlebutt is that the extra sales force is being employed by the government to spy on and even beat anyone attempting to rally. Indeed, while small protests have materialized in some suburbs, they have been quickly broken up by baton-wielding thugs.

It is almost impossible to gauge the significance of the crisis going on in the rest of the country. "There are no problems in Syria," a taxi driver spat out in response to a question, his cigarette almost falling out of his mouth and his eyes widening. To strangers, the citizens of Damascus are quick to applaud President Bashar Assad and blame terrorists and gun smugglers for the unrest. That is the official government line. However, as rapport is built and conversations ease, it is clear that few believe what they preach. "Outside Damascus, it's a big problem. Many have been killed," the rugged taxi driver admitted suddenly, sheepishly. (See pictures of protests in Syria.)

The view from broad is that Syria is the very model of tyrannical repression. Following in Barack Obama's footsteps, the European Union slapped sanctions on Assad on Monday after one of the bloodiest weekends in the country's nine-week uprising. Local human-rights activists say the repression has so far left more than 1,000 people dead. E.U. foreign ministers condemned the "ongoing repression in Syria and the unacceptable violence" wreaked on peaceful protests and called for the end of mass arrests and torture and for the Assad government to allow in aid workers, medics and journalists.

Antigovernment activists in Syria are unimpressed. "Nothing will change here," an activist in Damascus said. "Obama placed sanctions on Assad last week, and look at what happened this weekend." Syria is reeling after a weekend when security forces fired into crowds of mourners who took part in a funeral procession for antigovernment protesters killed last week. The death toll on Fridays has been falling steadily since April 22, when more than 100 people were killed. (Friday is the Islamic holy day and the occasion for people gathered to pray at mosques to then band together to march in protest.) But that doesn't mean the government has relented in its shooting spree. On May 20, police fired on demonstrations across the country, killing at least 44 people, according to human-rights groups outside Syria that collate the names of the dead. (See "Did Obama's Speech Give Syria's Assad a Breather?")

And the government has also opened fire on the funerals of those who died. In Syria, as is customary elsewhere in the sweltering Middle East, funerals are often held the day after a person dies. In Homs, a central city that has become a hub for the antigovernment movement, 11 more people died when police fired on mourners carrying coffins on their shoulders on major roads.

Nadim Houry, Human Rights Watch's senior researcher for Syria and Lebanon, said there have been no signs that the Syrian government has become any less brutal since the start of the protests in mid-March. "I haven't seen the government show more restraint," he said. "The government has not got to a stage where they are more tolerant of protests," he added. International rhetoric and sanctions, it seems, have not had much effect so far.

Fearful of being tailed in Damascus, revolutionaries are traveling out of the capital to protest. One activist, who will be referred to as Ammar, said that every Thursday he travels to Homs to protest. "In Homs I could get shot, but in Damascus I'll get arrested and thrown in jail before we can even organize a protest," he said, speaking in a smoky old Damascene cafE, confident that the ambient noise of the lively room would drown out his dissenting views. It is well known, he said, that phones and e-mails are tapped. Ammar will talk only in person. (See how public spaces helped mold the Arab Spring.)

But stories from beyond Damascus are trickling into the capital. Another activist, who asked to be referred to as Noor, moved to Damascus this year to study. She says accounts are leaking out from friends and family back home of atrocities committed by security forces. On May 21, in Noor's sandy eastern hometown, near the Iraqi border, 17-year-old activist Mohammed Akram al-Tumeh poured lamp oil over his body and set himself alight in a central street only hours after he was released from prison for protesting. Noor's friends say that when the police released Tumeh, he was covered in bruises, and there are rumors that he was sexually abused in jail. Tumeh died on May 22.

With YouTube full of graphic videos showing children dying of bullet wounds and old men bleeding to death in the back of pickup trucks, Noor says that more and more Syrians who sat on the fence before for fear of the secret police are now willing to rise up. It remains to be seen whether the self-immolation of Tumeh will fully parallel that of the Tunisian vegetable vendor whose death ignited antigovernment protests across the Middle East.

For Noor, the question of whether sanctions will work is immaterial. She believes that in Syria, as it did in Tunisia and Egypt, anger will eventually overtake fear. Says Noor: "I know that I will be arrested or killed if I go out and protest in Damascus. But after learning what has happened to Syrians, I can't sit at home. That is as bad as watching it happen in front of you and not doing anything."

See how democracy can work in the Middle East.

See TIME's special report "The Middle East in Revolt."

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Nervous residents watch rising Mississippi River

NEW: "My house is completely submerged," Mississippi resident saysNEW: At Morganza Spillway, any number of 125 gate bays could be openedArkansas Farm Bureau estimates damage to state's agriculture to top $500 millionLouisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal says flooding could affect about 3 million acres Check out local reports on CNN affiliates WMC, WPTY, WSIL, KFVS, WPSD and WREG. If you're in an affected area, share your story with CNN's iReport.

Tunica, Mississippi (CNN) -- The swollen Mississippi River rolled south Wednesday, swamping emptied-out towns and businesses, and threatening untold damage to areas still recovering from a series of natural disasters.

In Mississippi, Louisiana, and Arkansas, authorities and residents braced for the days ahead.

"I went through Katrina," said Lynn Magnuson of New Orleans. "I would not wish flooding on anyone, and this city is the last place on Earth that needs any more high water."

Open Story: Damage map

The river crested Tuesday at Memphis, just short of a record set in 1937.

The river in Memphis measured 47.8 feet Tuesday night, according to the National Weather Service. Flood stage in Memphis is 34 feet.

In Natchez, Mississippi, the river surpassed its record early Wednesday, exceeding 58 feet. Forecasts predict the river will crest in Natchez on May 21 at an overwhelming 64 feet. Flood stage in Natchez is 48 feet.

Floodwaters on rise in Mississippi, Louisiana

Mississippi has already had to close some casinos at Tunica, a key economic driver in that part of the state, as floodwaters seeped in.

About 600 people in the community of Tunica Cutoff have been driven from their homes, said Larry Liddell, a county spokesman.

"My house is completely submerged. You can't even see it from a photograph," said Michael Dewes, who fled the Tunica Cutoff community and is staying in a shelter. "It's completely gone."

In Louisiana, Gov. Bobby Jindal said as many as 3 million acres could be affected by the flooding. Some 500 National Guard members have been mobilized so far and 21 parishes have issued emergency declarations.

The river's crest is expected to begin arriving in Louisiana next week. Flooding is expected to be a major setback in the southern part of the state.

"After hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav and Ike -- as well as the oil spill -- Louisiana can ill afford another large-scale disaster," said Sen. Mary Landrieu, a Louisiana Democrat. "Billions of dollars in property is at stake, not to mention the threat to human life."

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said it was closing a major lock that allows for the transfer of barge traffic between the Mississippi and the Red River Basin.

On Tuesday, the Corps opened 44 more gates to the Bonnet Carre Spillway in Norco, Louisiana, north of New Orleans, sending millions of gallons of water rushing into Lake Pontchartrain and, eventually, the Gulf of Mexico.

In addition to 28 gates opened on Monday, it may consider opening an additional 38 on Wednesday, according to John Young, the Jefferson Parish president.

As the swollen waters inch closer, anxious Louisiana residents are demanding answers.

Some have posted on Facebook pages operated by the Corps, demanding answers about when certain spillways will be opened and what other areas are facing flooding.

Residents and officials are especially concerned about the Morganza Spillway above Baton Rouge, which was last opened in 1973. Opening it could help spare Baton Rouge and New Orleans from some of the flooding's damage, but it would flood populated and rural areas in the swampy Atchafalaya Basin. The basin is home to the Atchafalaya River and myriad tributaries.

The 4,800-foot spillway includes 125 gate bays, said operations manager Russell Beauvais. In 1973, 42 of them were opened.

After gates are opened, Beauvais said, it would take about three days for the water to fully reach Morgan City, a town of about 12,000 near the coast.

In Arkansas, meanwhile, the Farm Bureau estimated damage to the state agriculture could top $500 million as more than a million acres of cropland are under water.

In Helena, Arkansas, the river was above 56 feet Wednesday. Flood level in Helena is 44 feet.

A crest is defined as the high point of the water during a flood before it begins to recede. Observers generally know that cresting is occurring when the gradual rise stops and the water level becomes stable.

What does cresting mean?

The Mississippi is the highest it's been at Memphis since 1937 when it crested at 48.7 feet -- 14.7 feet above flood stage. That flood killed 500 people and inundated 20 million acres of land, said Col. Vernie Reichling, the Corps of Engineers Memphis District commander.

How the Mississippi River levees could fail

So far, the levees protecting the area have only shown minor weaknesses, which workers have been able to control, he said.

President Barack Obama signed disaster declarations for Tennessee, which will help direct federal aid toward recovery efforts in areas hit by severe storms, flooding and tornadoes.

Flooding also continues to be a problem in southeastern Missouri and southern Illinois, though the Mississippi and Ohio rivers have already crested in those states.

CNN's Ed Lavandera and Tracy Sabo contributed to this report.

CNN

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Residents watchful of levee plan

The Mississippi River overflowed its banks near Cairo, Illinois, last week.NEW: The U.S. Supreme Court rules against Missouri, so levee can be breached NEW: The Ohio River at Cairo, Illinois, is 60.3 feet -- 50% above flood stageMissouri asks the Supreme Court to halt a plan to explode a levee to lessen pressureThe proposal would flood Missouri farmland but save an Illinois town

Birds Point, Missouri (CNN) -- Persistent, heavy rains have helped swell the Mississippi and Ohio rivers to the highest levels ever recorded, said an Army Corps of Engineers official Sunday.

This ominous development prompted Maj. Gen. Michael Walsh, president of the Mississippi River Commission, to order several barges into place at 3 p.m. to begin pumping explosive slurry into a levee near where the two rivers meet. This is all in preparation -- if the decision is made -- to blow up the Birds Point-New Madrid levee and potentially flood 130,000 acres of Missouri farmland, in part to save the town of Cairo, Illinois.

At 8 p.m., the water levels on the Ohio River outside Cairo had reached 60.27 feet -- well above the flood stage of 40 feet -- according to the National Weather Service. And, boosted by more rain, the forecast calls for a continued rise to as high as 61.5 feet by Tuesday afternoon.

"This is the largest flood that we have ever seen in our lifetimes," Walsh said.

Two states divided by river, flooding

The U.S. Supreme Court refused Sunday to block any plan to intentionally breach the levee. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito ruled against Missouri -- effectively giving Walsh the authority to execute on the levee-breach plan.

Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster's office had appealed to the court, questioning the Corps' authority to do so. He had hoped to overturn a federal judge's ruling against Missouri on Friday, saying a 1928 law permits the breach of the levee to ease pressure on the river.

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Hours before the Supreme Court ruling came down, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon told reporters Sunday that he was not dwelling on the legal battle. Rather, he said that local and state authorities are focused first and foremost on making all necessary preparations, including steps to protect property and lives, assuming that the levee will be breached and massive flooding will occur.

"The litigation is out there, but that's not our focal point, quite frankly," Nixon said, flanked by Walsh. "This doesn't thrill us, where we are, but this is a (difficult) situation. ... We understand the general and his team have difficult decisions to make."

Walsh said he'd directed crews to move the barges across the river to Missouri and load the pipes with the blasting agent. The entire process -- including priming the explosives and breaching the levee -- would take about 20 hours, at which point the controlled blast could occur.

"I have not given the command to put it into operation, just to get it to the next step," Walsh said.

The crisis is centered on the stretch of the Mississippi River between Memphis and St. Louis, but it relates to a far broader issue of excess water in the river and its tributaries. Engineers have warned that should the rising waters of the Mississippi River overwhelm the entire flood control project, it could deluge cities, destroy crops, destroy businesses and paralyze river transportation.

Engineers already have reported sand boils and seepage at a number of levees near the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, a condition that Walsh said also threatens the integrity of the Mississippi River and Tributaries Project -- the world's largest flood control project.

Belief Blog: Baptism in floodwaters

"There is water in places where we have never ever seen it before," Walsh said.

The potential for disaster -- and with the levees deteriorating and more rain falling -- prompted Cairo Mayor Judson Childs to order his city's 2,800 residents to evacuate by midnight Saturday.

"I'm here to try to protect the city of Cairo," Childs said. "I care about them and I don't want them in harm's way. I would much rather issue a mandatory evacuation and nothing happen than not to do it and people lose their life."

Meanwhile, Missouri is likewise preparing for the worst -- specifically, the immersion or other negative effects on what Nixon called "the most productive part of our continent" for farming.

About 750 National Guard personnel are in the area, with nearly 100 state police also on hand to safeguard the area and residents' property. In addition, 230 residents who were potentially in harm's way in Mississippi and New Madrid counties have been evacuated.

"The point is, if this is going to occur here, we're going to do it safely, we're going to do it an orderly fashion and we're going to do the best we can to defend it and save property where available," the governor said.

The uncertain scenario threatened to turned the lives of thousands upside down.

In Dexter, Missouri, Amanda Jones spent much of her Sunday morning in tears, bouncing from her computer to her phone and back again, pausing only to care for her sick toddler.

She and others are concerned about the economic impact on Mississippi County -- and are even more worried about the unforeseen consequences if all doesn't go according to plan and water inundates the nearby Missouri towns of New Madrid, Charleston, Wyatt and East Prairie.

Residents are being told a second levee built to protect the towns will hold, but "they really have no clue what's going to happen," Jones said. And even out of the flood plain, she said she's worried an explosion may trigger an earthquake on the New Madrid Fault, which runs through the region.

Jones posted on her Facebook page a transcript of a 1988 public meeting in which it was discussed that such a plan could go awry, as the force of the water would be uncontrollable after such a breach and the second levee cannot be guaranteed.

"As we all know too well, plans don't always go according to plan, especially when Old Man River is involved," board member Lester Goodin said, according to the transcript. "It has time after time fooled people who weren't fools, people who merely miscalculated, or failed to take into account its almost infinite variables, or used inadequate models, or out-of-date models, or mistaken assumptions."

In East Prairie, Cassie Sutton isn't waiting around to find out. Her family's bags are packed, she said Sunday. And should word be given that the levee will be blown up, they plan to head to stay with relatives about 45 minutes away.

"They did say the secondary levee will hold, but we've also never been in times like these," she said. "... I'm not willing to be the guinea pig. That's the bottom line."

Sutton said her aunt and uncle have evacuated two homes near the levee, moving out all their possessions, and are now living in a camper. "They honestly think they'll have nothing to go back to," she said, adding the Corps of Engineers has told them the water will cover their home by at least 5 or 6 feet.

The levee was breached before, in 1937. But, Jones and Sutton pointed out, the area was heavily forested then, with trees to slow the water before it reached the second levee. That forestation is no longer there, they said.

Koster's office said last week that "the flooding would leave a layer of silt on the farmland that could take as much as a generation to clear, causing significant injury to the quality of the farmland for many years."

Still, even if they don't prefer it, not everyone in the Show-Me State opposes the levee breach if it's truly a last resort.

Sutton said her family has traditionally made its living farming, but "when it comes over people's lives to farmland, I say save the lives."

"They say it's going to help Cairo, then I'm for it," she said. "But I have a feeling that will destroy Mississippi County, financially bankrupt our county."

CNN's Ashley Hayes, Bill Mears and Chelsea J. Carter contributed to this report.

CNN

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Residents watchful of levee plan

The Mississippi River overflowed its banks near Cairo, Illinois, last week.NEW: The river is continuing to riseCrews move closer to fulfilling plan to breach levee on the MississippiThe breach will flood Missouri farmland, officials say, but save an Illinois town

(CNN) -- Amanda Jones spent much of Sunday morning in tears, bouncing from her computer to her phone and back again, pausing only to care for her sick toddler.

The Dexter, Missouri, woman is nervous over plans to blow up the Birds Point-New Madrid levee on the rain-swollen Mississippi River -- a decision that has pitted Illinois against Missouri in recent days, with Missouri filing a federal lawsuit to block the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from following through on its plan.

The Corps of Engineers says the action is necessary to save the town of Cairo, Illinois, although it will flood rural Missouri farm communities. "I know that the price being paid is high," said Maj. Gen. Michael Walsh on Saturday.

A federal judge on Friday ruled against Missouri in the case, saying a 1928 law permits the breach of the levee to ease pressure on the river. As of 2 p.m. (3 p.m. ET), the gauge at Cairo -- where the Ohio River meets the Mississippi River -- stood at 59.93 feet, a record level. Flood stage is 40 feet, according to the National Weather Service

Barges containing the explosives have been moved from Kentucky to Birds Point, officials said Sunday -- a sign to residents that the breach is imminent.

The Birds Point-New Madrid Joint Information Center said on its Facebook page Sunday that Walsh has directed crews "to be prepared to move to (the) next step" in the operational plan as of Sunday afternoon. That step involves repositioning the barges at Birds Point, the information center said. If Walsh directs the plan to move forward, the next steps involve loading the explosives and priming the system, according to the posting.

In an afternoon briefing, Walsh "emphasized the historic levels at Cairo are putting pressure on the entire system like we have never seen," the joint information center posted. "We are still monitoring the entire system and the conditions."

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon plans to speak to reporters later Sunday after touring parts of the state that would be affected by the breach. More than 700 Missouri National Guard troops are on the ground in the area, "securing the homes and personal property of those who have been evacuated," Nixon's office said.

While Jones and others are concerned about the economic impact on Mississippi County, Missouri, they are even more worried about the unforeseen consequences if all doesn't go according to plan and water inundates the nearby Missouri towns of New Madrid, Charleston, Wyatt and East Prairie.

Residents are being told a second levee built to protect the towns will hold, but "they really have no clue what's going to happen," Jones said.

In East Prairie, Cassie Sutton said she isn't waiting around to find out. Her family's bags are packed, she said Sunday, and when word is given that the levee will be blown up, they plan to head to stay with relatives about 45 minutes away.

"They did say the secondary levee will hold, but we've also never been in times like these," she said. "... I'm not willing to be the guinea pig. That's the bottom line."

The plan calls for engineers to use explosives to breach the Birds Point-New Madrid levee, flooding 130,000 acres of Missouri farmland that has been designated as a flood plain. About 90 families who live in the area have already been evacuated, Missouri officials have said.

Illinois and Missouri have called out hundreds of National Guard soldiers to help evacuate communities and protect vacated communities.

"It's like we have to sit around and wait, and that really, really terrifies me," Jones said. She said her town is on a hill and not in a flood plain, but is worried about the blast triggering a possible earthquake on the New Madrid Fault, which runs through the region. "The flood might not get me, but the earthquake will," she said.

Both Jones and Sutton are closely monitoring the joint information center's Facebook page, set up to disseminate information on the issue.

But Jones said she is afraid people aren't getting the whole story. "My family lives within a couple of miles of the levee. They've not been told to evacuate ... the news around here, nobody's reporting anything. They're not telling people what could happen."

She said even if the worst-case scenario doesn't take place, people should be made aware of the possibilities.

Sutton said she believes the Joint Information Center "has been really good. I'm very grateful for that." But, she pointed out, "they just don't know" what might happen.

With more rain forecast and the deterioration of the levee, Cairo Mayor Judson Childs ordered his 2,800 residents to evacuate by midnight Saturday.

"I'm here to try to protect the city of Cairo," Childs said. "I care about them and I don't want them in harm's way. I would much rather issue a mandatory evacuation and nothing happen than not to do it and people lose their life."

Sutton said her aunt and uncle have evacuated two homes near the levee, moving out all their possessions, and are now living in a camper. "They honestly think they'll have nothing to go back to," she said, adding the Corps of Engineers has told them the water will cover their home by at least five or six feet.

They also don't know whether they will be compensated for their losses, she said, as insurance likely will not cover a "man-made disaster" such as the intentional levee breach.

Asked about the issue on Facebook Sunday, the Joint Information Center said, "We are looking at all avenues of relief and assistance with other federal and state agencies. Right now, the priority is the safety of the public and the integrity of the entire system."

Jones posted on her Facebook page a transcript of a 1988 public meeting in which it was discussed that such a plan could go awry, as the force of the water would be uncontrollable after such a breach and the second levee cannot be guaranteed.

"As we all know too well, plans don't always go according to plan, especially when Old Man River is involved," board member Lester Goodin said, according to the transcript. "It has time after time fooled people who weren't fools, people who merely miscalculated, or failed to take into account its almost infinite variables, or used inadequate models, or out-of-date models, or mistaken assumptions."

"There's a lot of questions that people are asking that they're not answering," Jones said.

Engineers have reported sand boils and seepage at a number of levees near the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, a condition that Walsh said also threatens the integrity of the Mississippi River and Tributaries Project -- the world's largest flood control project.

"There is water in places where we have never ever seen it before," Walsh said.

The levee was breached before, in 1937. But, Jones and Sutton pointed out, the area was heavily forested then, with trees to slow the water before it reached the second levee. That forestation is no longer there, they said. In addition, Sutton said, the explosives used are likely much more powerful today.

Engineers have warned that should the rising waters of the Mississippi River overwhelm the entire flood control project, it could deluge cities, destroy crops, destroy businesses and paralyze river transportation.

Meanwhile, Missouri residents are concerned about the economic impact on the farms and the immediate area. Jones said she believes the farmland will be rendered useless, as the flooding will deposit sand and remove the top few layers of soil.

Sutton said her family has traditionally made its living farming, but "when it comes over people's lives to farmland, I say save the lives."

"They say it's going to help Cairo, then I'm for it," she said. "But I have a feeling that will destroy Mississippi County, financially bankrupt our county," where the main source of income is farming.

"It's going to be a sad, horrible thing to watch," she said.

CNN's Chelsea J. Carter contributed to this report.

CNN

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Texas Governor Asks Residents to Pray for Rain Amid Extreme Drought

Published April 23, 2011

| FoxNews.com

Gov. Rick Perry, a devout Christian, is calling on all Texans to pray for rain as most of the state battles an extreme and exceptional drought.

Perry has proclaimed a three-day period, from Friday to Sunday, as Days of Prayer for Rain in the state.

"I urge Texans of all faiths and traditions to offer prayers on that day for the healing of our land, the rebuilding of our communities and the restoration of our normal way of life," he wrote in the proclamation.

The drought has led to massive wildfires that have scored more than 1.8 million acres since last year, claimed the lives of two firefighters and destroyed nearly 400 homes. Perry declared a state of emergency in December.

This isn't the first time Perry has asked Texans for prayer in the midst of a disaster. Last year, he joined three other Gulf Coast state governors – Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour and Alabama Gov. Bob Riley -- who held a day of prayer more than two months after the BP oil spill.

While there hasn't been any public criticism of Perry's religious response so far, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer is being targeted for her Day of Prayer proclamations.

The Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation, which has made elimination of the Day of Prayer a central cause of its existence, filed a lawsuit last month to prevent Brewer from declaring May 5 this year's "Day of Prayer" in Arizona. 

Filing the suit on behalf of four Arizonans identified as nonbelievers in religion, the foundation has also questioned the constitutionality of Brewer's proclamation in 2009 and 2010 as well as her Day of Prayer proclamation for the state budget on Jan. 17, 2010.

On Thursday, the governor told a court in Phoenix that she is in compliance with federal and state constitutional provisions. She also addressed the lawsuit during a prayer breakfast in which she said proclaiming a day of prayer is an American tradition dating back to George Washington's presidency.

"The lawsuit to stop our prayer proclamations is nothing more than an attempt to drive religious expression from the public square," she said. "I intend to fight that lawsuit -- vigorously -- every step of the way."

The group tried a similar tack against President Obama to prevent a National Day of Prayer, but a three-judge panel on the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals tossed the case last week, ruling that the Freedom From Religion Foundation lacked standing. Brewer said she's confident of a similar outcome in the Arizona case.

Presidents have been annually marking days of prayer since 1952, when President Harry Truman signed a congressional resolution into law. Congress amended the law in 1988 to make the first Thursday in May the National Day of Prayer.

The Wisconsin group is seeking a rehearing of the case against Obama from the entire 7th Circuit Court.

"Our challenge is so strong, our claim is so correct," Foundation Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor said in a statement. "The First Amendment says, 'Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.' No law should mean no law!"

Last fall, the group lost a legal challenge in Colorado that alleged the state violated its constitution by recognizing the National Day of Prayer. But a district court judge in Denver dismissed the case, saying the state proclamation is a lawful expression of an individual's right to practice religion. 

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