Syrian troops shell central city of Homs

By BASSEM MROUE, Associated Press

Jun 17, 2012 5:20 AM CDT

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Syrian troops shell central city of Homs — FILE - In this Sunday, May 20, 2012 file photo, Norwegian Maj. Gen. Robert Mood, head of the U.N. observer team in Syria, stands near a U.N. observers car in Zabadani neighborhood in Damascus, Syria. U.N. observers in Syria suspended their activities and patrols Saturday, June 16, 2012 because of escalating... (Associated Press)

Activists say Syrian troops have intensified their shelling of rebel-held neighborhoods in the central city of Homs as living conditions there deteriorate further.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Local Coordination Committees say the shelling killed at least one person on Sunday.

Activists say the city's besieged rebel-held areas have been under intense shelling and ground attacks for a week. The Observatory urged the U.N. to intervene and evacuate more than 1,000 Homs families, including women and children. It says their lives are in danger.

The latest shelling comes a day after U.N. observers suspended their patrols in Syria due to a recent spike in violence.

Activist say more than 14,000 people have been killed since the crisis in Syria began in March last year.