More than 40 people have been killed by government forces in a village in north-western Syria, activists say. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and Violations Documentation Centre both listed the names of people they said were executed in al-Bayda, near the port of Baniyas, on Thursday. An online video appears to show seven bodies in pools of blood, but state media made no mention of any incidents. The main opposition group accused the government of a "large-scale massacre". "It is time for the world to intervene and put an end to the grievous crimes of the Assad regime," the National Coalition said in a statement. On Thursday, President Barack Obama said the US would look at all options to end the conflict in Syria, after his Defence Secretary, Chuck Hagel, said Washington was rethinking its opposition to arming the rebels. Mr Obama said he would not rush into a decision, and wanted to ensure action did not make the situation in Syria more deadly or complex. The Syrian Observatory, a UK-based activist group that monitors human rights violations on both sides of the conflict via a network of contacts, said at least 50 people had been "summarily executed, shot to death, stabbed or set on fire" in al-Bayda. The killings were carried out by government troops, supported by pro-government militiamen known as "shabiha", it added. "Dozens of civilians from al-Bayda have gone missing, and we don't know whether they have been arrested, killed or fled," said the group's director, Rami Abdul Rahman. "Many villagers have fled to Sunni districts in southern Baniyas, as there is no refuge for them in Alawite areas." Mr Abdul Rahman said troops were still in al-Bayda on Friday, conducting house-to-house searches. Telephone and internet services to the village had been cut, he added, making it difficult to verify reports. Al-Bayda is reportedly a predominantly Sunni Muslim village located in an area dominated by President Bashar al-Assad's minority Alawite sect. Syria's majority Sunni community has been at the forefront of the revolt against the state, during which more than 70,000 people have died. Source:BBC
