Syrian air strike on fuel station kills 54

BEIRUT — At least 54 people were killed when a Syrian air strike hit a fuel station in the northern province of Al Raqqa on Thursday, an area of heavy fighting between government and rebel forces, a British-based violence watchdog said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has a network of activists across Syria reporting on government violence during the 18-month-old revolt, cited an activist in the region saying that more than 110 people were dead or wounded.

A video published by activists, said to be from Al Raqqa, showed black clouds of smoke rising from the wreckage of the petrol station as bewildered residents examined the scene following the attack by a Syrian air force jet.

It came a day after insurgents seized a border crossing with Turkey some 30km away on the northern fringes of Al Raqqa province, consolidating their grip on a frontier through which they ferry arms for battle.

It was impossible to verify the authenticity of the video, and most foreign journalists are barred entry into Syria, making varying accounts of events difficult to confirm.

Diplomats from over 60 nations and the Arab League met in The Hague on Thursday to toughen and improve coordination of sanctions against the regime of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad. “We need vigorous implementation,” Netherlands Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal told the opening of the “Friends of Syria” sanctions working group. “Sanctions will only have an impact if they are carried out effectively. That is how we can make a difference.”

The meeting comes after the European Union agreed earlier this month on the need to beef up sanctions against Assad’s inner circle as the world struggles to resolve the bloody 18-month conflict.

Assad’s forces have targeted petrol stations in rural towns and villages and along main roads to deprive rebels of fuel.