Opposition activists were quick to claim the 13 bodies were victims of a new regime massacre.
"These men were probably soldiers in Bashar al-Assad's army who were going to defect and join the Free Syrian Army," an activist, Abu Yousef, said.
However, there were no eyewitnesses to the killings, and the victims had no identity papers, making it hard to tell to which side they belonged.
Activists also said that no one from al-Sijr, the Sunni village where the bodies were found, had reported a loved one missing.
Last night, Syrian rebels gave Pesident Bashar al-Assad 48 hours to abide by an international peace plan to end violence or face the consequence.
"It ends on Friday at 1200 then we are free from any commitment and we will defend and protect the civilians, their villages and their cities," said Col Qassim Saadeddine.
Although the vast majority of human rights abuses have been ascribed to the government, some rebel brigades are also known to have executed captives, especially men from the Shabiha, or pro-Assad militia, accused of the worst atrocities.
Russia and China both refused yesterday to shift their position on UN intervention in the country, despite worldwide outrage over the massacre of more than 100 people in the town of Houla at the weekend, including 49 children and 34 women.
President Vladimir Putin's spokesman said: "It would make sense to expect a continuation of the Russian Federation's consistent and well-argued line" on Syria, adding that any pressure on Moscow is "hardly appropriate".
Moscow also condemned the coordinated decision by western countries on Tuesday to expel Syrian diplomats as "counterproductive", saying it closed down channels for dialogue.
Instead they continued to put their weight behind the peace plan of the UN envoy, Kofi Annan.
Other members of the UN security council, meeting behind closed doors in New York on Wednesday, seemed close to despair.
Mark Lyall Grant, the British member said that due the "escalating levels of violence" the council was discussing whether to withdraw observers from the country, saying it was "not sustainable for us to have observers on the ground where violence continues"
The council is debating whether to send more observers, on top of the 290 already there. Some fear doing so would create false hope for Syrians who might expect them to stop the violence, even though there is little they can do.
Others argue that having more in the country would at least mean the violence being meted out by the regime could be documented by impartial observers, one senior diplomat said.
Susan Rice, the US ambassador to the UN, said that certain countries spoke of their opposition to sanctions at the meeting.
She said she believed that the most likely outcome now was "escalating conflict" which she feared could spread outside of Syria.
Asked about whether Iran was partly to blame for Sunday's massacre Ms Rice said that Iran had bragged about arming Syrian fighters and added: "They are very much compliant in what is going on."
Mr Annan's deputy, Jean-Marie Guehenno, earlier said that direct engagement between the Syrian government and the opposition was "impossible at the moment", according to diplomats.
He also expressed "serious doubts" about the commitment of the Assad regime to the Annan plan.Daily Jokes | Free Forex Signals | Ibadan City Network (Forum) | Small Business Guide
"It ends on Friday at 1200 then we are free from any commitment and we will defend and protect the civilians, their villages and their cities," said Col Qassim Saadeddine.
Although the vast majority of human rights abuses have been ascribed to the government, some rebel brigades are also known to have executed captives, especially men from the Shabiha, or pro-Assad militia, accused of the worst atrocities.
Russia and China both refused yesterday to shift their position on UN intervention in the country, despite worldwide outrage over the massacre of more than 100 people in the town of Houla at the weekend, including 49 children and 34 women.
President Vladimir Putin's spokesman said: "It would make sense to expect a continuation of the Russian Federation's consistent and well-argued line" on Syria, adding that any pressure on Moscow is "hardly appropriate".
Moscow also condemned the coordinated decision by western countries on Tuesday to expel Syrian diplomats as "counterproductive", saying it closed down channels for dialogue.
Instead they continued to put their weight behind the peace plan of the UN envoy, Kofi Annan.
Other members of the UN security council, meeting behind closed doors in New York on Wednesday, seemed close to despair.
Mark Lyall Grant, the British member said that due the "escalating levels of violence" the council was discussing whether to withdraw observers from the country, saying it was "not sustainable for us to have observers on the ground where violence continues"
The council is debating whether to send more observers, on top of the 290 already there. Some fear doing so would create false hope for Syrians who might expect them to stop the violence, even though there is little they can do.
Others argue that having more in the country would at least mean the violence being meted out by the regime could be documented by impartial observers, one senior diplomat said.
Susan Rice, the US ambassador to the UN, said that certain countries spoke of their opposition to sanctions at the meeting.
She said she believed that the most likely outcome now was "escalating conflict" which she feared could spread outside of Syria.
Asked about whether Iran was partly to blame for Sunday's massacre Ms Rice said that Iran had bragged about arming Syrian fighters and added: "They are very much compliant in what is going on."
Mr Annan's deputy, Jean-Marie Guehenno, earlier said that direct engagement between the Syrian government and the opposition was "impossible at the moment", according to diplomats.
He also expressed "serious doubts" about the commitment of the Assad regime to the Annan plan.Daily Jokes | Free Forex Signals | Ibadan City Network (Forum) | Small Business Guide
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