Tunisia is withdrawing its recognition of the Syrian leadership under President Bashar al-Assad and will expel the Syrian ambassador, the Tunisian president said on Saturday. A message posted on the Facebook page of President Moncef Marzouki said: "Tunisia has announced the launch of procedures for the expulsion of the Syrian ambassador in Tunisia and the withdrawal of all recognition of the regime in power in Damascus." "The only solution (to the violence in Syria) is the withdrawal of Bashar al-Asssad from power, and the launch of a democratic transition," the message said according o Reuters. The Tunisian decision came hours after Syrian forces unleashed a barrage of mortars and artillery on the battered city of Homs for hours before dawn on Saturday, sending terrified residents fleeing into basements and killing more than 200 people in what appeared to be the bloodiest episode in the nearly 11-month-old uprising. Tunisia decided to expel Syria's ambassador in response to the "bloody massacre" in Homs and it "no longer recognizes" the Assad regime, an official in the president's office told AP on condition of anonymity, in line with government policy. Syrian demonstrators ransacked their country's embassy in Cairo and broke into the missions in London and Kuwait, part of protests around the world against the worst bloodshed of the uprising against Assad. The Cairo crowd smashed furniture and equipment and set fire to parts of the embassy building overnight. In London, about 150 people hurled stones at the Syrian embassy, smashing windows and shouting slogans. Five men were arrested after breaking into the building and another was held for assaulting police, London police said. Syrian residents in Kuwait broke into the embassy there at dawn on Saturday, tearing down the flag and injuring several security guards, state news agency KUNA reported.
