Syria: Syria: Red Crescent secretary killed. Orthodox priest also dies in clash

Damascus - The Secretary General of the Syrian Red Crescent Society was killed in an ambush in Syria. Abdulrazaq Jbeiro, who was also responsible for the regional organization in the northern province of Idlib was shot dead while travelling by car to Idlib, after some meetings in Damascus. Dabbakeh Saleh, a Red Cross spokesman in Damascus said that it is not the first time a member of the organization has been attacked. "Three months ago another volunteer was injured gunshots," said Dabbakeh. He called on all warring parties not to target humanitarian workers, "who volunteer to save lives." It is not clear who is responsible for the killing. The State agency Sana said that he was killed by a "terrorist group".

Meanwhile, after the abandonment of the representatives of the Gulf states and Saudi Arabia, the Arab League observers are continuing their mission. Yesterday at Hama, one opposition strongholds clashes continue with government forces, which have caused several deaths, among them an Orthodox priest, Basilious Nassar. According to the local coordination committees, an opposition group, Fr. Basilious, coming from a nearby village, and was killed while trying to help rescue a man injured in the clashes.

Today Russia declared that it opposes international sanctions against Syria, but that they is "open to constructive proposals", while the Arab League continues to seek the support of the United Nations for a plan to resolve the crisis in Syria. "We are open to constructive proposals that go towards ending the violence," said Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov after talks with his counterpart Turkish Ahmet Davutoglu. Lavrov added that any solution, supported by Russia, "can not be used or interpreted to justify outside military intervention in the Syrian crisis."