LATEST: 72-Hour Truce in al-Waer in Homs

SATURDAY FEATURES

UPDATE 1800 GMT: Syria’s Foreign Ministry has sent a letter of protest to the President of the UN Security Council, citing a death toll of 39 for Thursday’s mortar fire on an election rally in Daraa city.

The Ministry said 14 of the 205 wounded are in critical condition.

There is uncertainty this morning over the extent of casualties from an insurgent mortar attack on an election rally for President Assad late Thursday.

The Associated Press, citing Syrian State TV, says 39 people were killed and 205 wounded when the shell hit a tent in Daraa Province in southern Syria.

However, State news agency SANA says “several citizens” were slain and others wounded.

Qaisar Habib, an opposition activist close to Jabhat al-Nusra, confirmed the strike. He said that, while there were civilians in the area, the tent was a “legitimate target” because those running the election were mostly pro-Assad militiamen.

SANA quotes the Governor of Daraa Province, Mohammad Khaled al-Hannous, “(The Syrian people) cannot wait to head to the ballots in the hopes of being rid of the thieves and bandits who know nothing but killing and destruction.”

State TV showed pictures of Assad supporters dancing in the tent, and then those of people lying dead and wounded on the ground.

SANA leads its story with the picture of an injured child.

72-Hour Truce in al-Waer in Homs

Activists say insurgents and regime forces have agreed a truce in the insurgent-held area of al-Waer in Homs.

Earlier this month, insurgents agreed to evacuate areas of Homs, including the Old City, after a siege of more than two years; however, they remained in al-Waer, which is home to many displaced Syrians.

President Assad’s forces have continued to bombard the area and burn nearby fields, tightening their siege.

Syrian activist Thaer Khalidiya said the truce went into effect on Friday and would last until Sunday night.

State Media: 4 Killed in Damascus by Car Bomb

State news agency SANA says four civilians were killed and seven injured on Saturday by a car bomb in the al-Tijara neighborhood in Damascus.

A police source said attacked detonated an explosive device they had stuck onto a parked car.

The explosive device weighed 30 kg and was attached to the driver’s seat and the back seat, causing the car and a nearby one to burn, the source added.

Opposition media said a “device exploded…near a regime checkpoint leaving dead and wounded”, posting a photo of the car.

Assad Thanks Russia for Its Support

Meeting a Russian governmental delegation headed by Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin on Saturday, President Assad thanked Moscow for its “support of the Syrian people in their war against terrorism”.

Assad declared the role of Russia in “preserving stability in the world and confronting the Western attempts of dominating countries in the region”.

Moscow has been essential to the Assad regime in its provision of military equipment and economic aid. On Thursday night, it vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution for the fourth time during the Syrian conflict.

Doctor: 2 Killed and 25 Wounded in Latest Chlorine Attacks by Regime

Speaking on BBC Radio this morning, an unnamed doctor has said that at least two people were killed — an old man of about 60 and a 14-year-old — and about 25 were wounded in the one of the Assad regime’s latest attacks with chlorine gas.

See Syria Audio: Doctor Describes Latest Chlorine Attacks by Assad Regime

Video: Syrian Forces Taunt and Beat Bodies of Fighters in North

Footage, from a pro-regime outlet, of Syrian forces taunting and beating the bodies of slain fighters in northern Syria, reportedly between Salamiyah and Raqqa:

Amid fighting between insurgents and the Islamic State of Iraq and as-Sham in the area, regime forces have been trying to take advantage and reclaim territory long held by the opposition.

Video: Commanding Officers Meet Troops After Lifting Siege of Aleppo Central Prison

Celebratory footage of Syrian commander Suhail Hassan meeting troops, some of them emaciated after the months-long siege by insurgents, after regime forces reached Aleppo Central Prison on Wednesday:

See Syria Daily, May 23: Has Regime Turned the Tide in Aleppo?

Video: Regime Footage Promotes Fight Near Nawa

A pro-regime video exalting the Syrian forces trying to take Nawa, south of Damascus:

The Syrian military has been trying this month to reclaim Nawa, a vital link between Quneitra and Daraa Provinces.