Shelling Its Own Citizens

The Syrian regime intensifies its violent campaign:

At least 10,000 protesters have been detained in the past several days in a mass arrest campaign aimed at quelling a seven-week uprising in Syria against the government of President Bashar al-Assad, activists said, as fresh shelling of a residential neighborhood was reported on Wednesday from Homs, the country’s third largest city. The shelling, most intense between 5 a.m. and 8 a.m., appeared to mark a further escalation in the crackdown. “The situation is so bad this morning,” Abu Haydar, a resident there, said by telephone. “It’s been continuous shelling since Sunday.”

AJE has more on the shelling. The above video shows part of the damage in Homs. Live-blog updates here. The Obama administration is indicating that it's about to ratchet up its rhetoric against Assad. Meanwhile, the story of the missing Al Jazeera journalist takes an ominous turn:

Syrian officials had previously told Al Jazeera the 39-year-old [Dorothy Parvaz] was being held in the Syrian capital and would be released. "We have now received information that she is being held in Tehran," an Al Jazeera spokesman said in a statement on Wednesday. "We are calling for information from the Iranian authorities, access to Dorothy, and for her immediate release. We have had no contact with Dorothy since she left Doha on April 29 and we are deeply concerned for her welfare."