Hopes of a United Nations-sponsored ceasefire in Syria are receding as Syrian troops continue to shell the city of Homs and the northern village of Marea. The French foreign ministry said Syria’s promises to implement a ceasefire plan are a “blatant and unacceptable lie.” As the deadline for Damascus to implement the ceasefire plan crafted by U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan ran down, Syria demanded guarantees from the former United Nations chief that armed insurgents would honor a truce. The rebel Free Syrian Army has said it will cease fire only if convinced that Bashar al-Assad’s forces have pulled back. On Monday, at least five people, including two Turkish citizens, were wounded by cross-border fire into a Syrian refugee camp in Turkey. Another neighbor of Syria’s, Lebanon, condemned the killing of a local journalist by Syrian soldiers firing over the border on Monday. Ali Shaaban worked as a cameraman for Lebanon’s Al-Jadeed television channel. Salam Abu Mujahed is director of TV operations at the station.

Salam Abu Mujahed: “He’s a martyr for all the media. He’s another martyr for all photojournalists and for the country. As a television station, we are proud that we had a member in our team like him. May God bless his soul.”