BEIRUT – Syrian activists say tanks have stormed the eastern city of Deir al-Zor and made sweeping arrests there as the regime faced calls for an arms embargo and other sanctions.
Citing witnesses on the ground, an activist group called the Local Coordination Committees says tanks rolled into Deir al-Zor early on Wednesday.
The city has emerged as a flashpoint in the 5-month-old uprising. Deir al-Zor is an oil-rich but largely impoverished region known for its well-armed clans and tribes whose ties extend across eastern Syria and into Iraq.
On Tuesday, European nations and the US circulated a draft UN Security Council resolution seeking an arms embargo and other sanctions aimed at stopping the government’s crackdown on protesters.
