Saudi Arabia's king has condemned a brutal crackdown on protests in Syria, recalling the country's ambassador to Damascus and calling on the Syrian government to implement political reforms.
"What is happening in Syria is not acceptable for Saudi Arabia," King Abdullah said in a written statement on Monday.
"Syria should think wisely before it's too late and issue and enact reforms that are not merely promises but actual reforms," he said. "Either it chooses wisdom on its own or it will be pulled down into the depths of turmoil and loss."
The Saudi monarch's comments came a day after the Gulf Cooperation Council urged Syria to "end the bloodshed" and the Arab League, which had been silent since the uprising began, said it was "alarmed" by the situation and called for the immediate halt of all violence.
The US envoy to Damascus, Robert Ford, who returned to Syria on Thursday, also said in a US television interview on Sunday that Washington would "try to ratchet up the pressure" on Assad's regime.
Intensifying crackdown
Syrian activists said the eastern city of Deir az-Zor came under new artillery fire on Monday morning, after Syrian troops raided the city a day earlier, reportedly killing at least 50 people.
Some activists say more than 300 people have died in the past week, the bloodiest in the five-month uprising against Assad.
"The city was bombed by all types of heavy weapons and machine gun fire before troops started entering," an activist in Deir az-Zor said on Sunday, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
"Humanitarian conditions in the city are very bad because it has been under siege for nine days," the activist said. "There is lack of medicine, baby formula, food and gasoline. The city is totally paralyzed."
Syria's state news agency cited an official military source dismissing claims that the army was shelling Deir az-Zor, insisting that up to Sunday, no tanks had entered the city.
However, "the source pointed out that some army units were commissioned to remove roadblocks set up by the armed terrorist groups at the city's entrances", SANA reported.
The government's crackdown on protesters demanding political reforms and an end to the Assad family's 40-year rule has left more than 1,700 dead since March, according to activists and human rights groups.
Assad's government disputes the toll and blames a "foreign conspiracy" for the unrest, which at times has brought hundreds of thousands of protesters into the streets.
The regime intensified the crackdown a week ago on the eve of Ramadan. The government has been trying to prevent the large mosque gatherings from turning into more anti-government protests.
Growing Arab criticism
In Cairo on Sunday, Arab League Chief Nabil Elaraby called on Syrian authorities to "immediately stop all acts of violence and security attacks and for a speedy adoption of necessary steps in this regard to preserve the national unity."
Last month, Elaraby visited Syria and said the country had entered a new era on the road to reform.
Neighboring Jordan, a staunch US ally, on Sunday said Syria's crackdown on protests was "worrisome, unfortunate and sad", urging dialogue and reforms.
Turkey, which borders Syria and until recently was a close ally and a major trade partner, said it would send its foreign minister to Damascus on Tuesday to deliver a strong message against the crackdown.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country's patience was running thin and that Turkey could not remain a bystander to the violence.
Assad has brushed off months of criticism and sanctions, blaming "armed gangs" for the violence, and his government's reaction to Turkey's criticism was quick.
State-run TV quoted Assad adviser Bouthaina Shaaban as saying that Turkey's foreign minister "will hear stronger words because of Turkey's stance that did not condemn until now the brutal killings of civilians, members of military and police".
PHOTO CAPTION
In this image from television taken Thursday, Aug. 4, 2011 and released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, empty streets with debris are shown of what SANA describes as the Syrian army restoring "security and stability" to the central city of Hama, Syria.
Al-Jazeera