The United States has imposed sanctions on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and other senior officials in response to the Syrian crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators. The sanctions freeze any assets held by Syrian officials and bar U.S. individuals and companies from doing business with Syria. Meanwhile, witnesses have reported seeing Syrian troops conducting house raids in the town of Arida on the Syria-Lebanon border. On Wednesday, Assad claimed his forces have made mistakes in their crackdown and said the nation’s turmoil is coming to an end. At the same time, Syrian troops continued to shell the border town of Tel Kalakh. At least 27 people have been killed there since ground troops and tanks raided the town on Saturday. A Syrian villager who fled to Lebanon described widespread destruction.

Villager: '’It is terrorism. They destroyed us, and they destroyed Tel Kelakh. Bodies are on the ground in the streets, and the houses are destroyed and the mosques destroyed. They left nothing. And they turned it into a sectarian issue between Sunni and Alawite. The Sunnis have all fled, and only the elderly are left, and we are taking bread to them.'’