Outraged by the worsening violence, European Union foreign ministers agreed new sanctions, freezing the assets of Syria's central bank, banning cargo flights from the country and blacklisting seven of President Bashar al-Assad's closest allies.
But there was little sign of any impact from the latest display of western indignation as Mr Assad's forces once again shelled the restive city of Homs.
Opposition activists said that at least 21 people were killed in the besieged district of Bab Amr, which has been devastated by a relentless onslaught for the past 24 days that has left thousands of civilians cowering in basements and struggling to survive on ever dwindling rations of food and water.
Video footage from the city showed that even during lulls in the shelling, life remained extremely hazardous with snipers taking aim at the few civilians who dared venture onto the streets.
Four other districts of the city were also targeted, while army units advanced towards the nearby Qusayr, another town that is effectively under the control of rebel units loosely operating under the banner of the Free Syrian Army.
There were similar scenes in the northwest, where a fresh offensive saw three towns in Idlib province come under sustained artillery, mortar and anti-aircraft fire. There was no immediate word on casualties.
As the violence raged, Mr Assad's officials did their best to give the impression of returning normality by claiming that the president had received an overwhelming mandate to pursue his reform programme after almost 90 per cent of voters approved a new constitution in a referendum held on Sunday.
The constitution ostensibly enshrines democratic rule and prepares the way for multiparty elections, although critics point out that it will also allow Mr Assad to remain in office for another 16 years.
Opposition groups called a boycott of the vote, although Mohammed al-Shaar, the interior minister, claimed a turnout of 57.4 per cent. With no independent observers monitoring the exercise, such figures will be questioned even though Mr Assad does continue to enjoy support from significant amounts of his people, particularly those of ethnic minorities.
Western politicians have dismissed the referendum as a sham.
"Yesterday's referendum has fooled nobody," William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, said in Brussels. "To open polling stations but continue to open fire on the civilians of the country has no credibility in the eyes of the world."
With opposition groups putting the death toll of the uprising at between 8,036 and 8,638, Sunni Arab countries have stepped up their pressure for a more robust international response to the crisis. Qatar yesterday joined Saudi Arabia in demanding that arms be sent to the Syrian opposition "I think they're right to defend themselves with weapons and I think we should help these people by all means," Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem al-Thani, Qatar's prime minister, said.
Saudi Arabia and its Sunni Gulf allies have taken an increasingly tough line with Syria, in part, according to some observers, in the hope of dealing a blow to Shia Iran, Mr Assad's oldest and closest regional ally. Taking matters a step further, Awad al-Qarni, an influential Saudi cleric, publicly called for the Syrian president to be killed.
Western leaders remain more cautious, however, fearing that providing weapons to disunited rebels about whom little is known could worsen rather than alleviate the crisis.
As the violence raged, Mr Assad's officials did their best to give the impression of returning normality by claiming that the president had received an overwhelming mandate to pursue his reform programme after almost 90 per cent of voters approved a new constitution in a referendum held on Sunday.
The constitution ostensibly enshrines democratic rule and prepares the way for multiparty elections, although critics point out that it will also allow Mr Assad to remain in office for another 16 years.
Opposition groups called a boycott of the vote, although Mohammed al-Shaar, the interior minister, claimed a turnout of 57.4 per cent. With no independent observers monitoring the exercise, such figures will be questioned even though Mr Assad does continue to enjoy support from significant amounts of his people, particularly those of ethnic minorities.
Western politicians have dismissed the referendum as a sham.
"Yesterday's referendum has fooled nobody," William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, said in Brussels. "To open polling stations but continue to open fire on the civilians of the country has no credibility in the eyes of the world."
With opposition groups putting the death toll of the uprising at between 8,036 and 8,638, Sunni Arab countries have stepped up their pressure for a more robust international response to the crisis. Qatar yesterday joined Saudi Arabia in demanding that arms be sent to the Syrian opposition "I think they're right to defend themselves with weapons and I think we should help these people by all means," Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem al-Thani, Qatar's prime minister, said.
Saudi Arabia and its Sunni Gulf allies have taken an increasingly tough line with Syria, in part, according to some observers, in the hope of dealing a blow to Shia Iran, Mr Assad's oldest and closest regional ally. Taking matters a step further, Awad al-Qarni, an influential Saudi cleric, publicly called for the Syrian president to be killed.
Western leaders remain more cautious, however, fearing that providing weapons to disunited rebels about whom little is known could worsen rather than alleviate the crisis.
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