Syrian gov't denies killing villagers of Tremseh

Syria's Foreign Ministry has denied reports that government forces massacred villagers in central Syria.

The country's opposition forces said that the military used tanks and helicopters in Thursday's assault on the village of Tremseh near the central city of Hama. The opposition also said that at least 200 people were killed by militiamen.

At a news conference on Sunday, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said that security forces responded to a request from villagers and launched an assault against the village where many terrorists live.

The spokesperson said that most of 39 people who were killed in the military operation were armed terrorists, not civilians.A spokesperson for UN observers in Syria said the observers visited Tremseh and confirmed heavy weaponry such as artillery had been used.

The spokesperson said that the attack appeared targeted at army defectors and activists, and that there were many bloodstains in their houses.The UN mission plans to continue its probe to learn what actually happened in Tremseh and how many people were killed in the attack.

In the capital Damascus on Sunday, rising smoke, apparently from fighting between the government forces and the opposition, could be seen at several locations.A local activist told media that it appeared to be the largest battle in the capital.Media agencies