At least five people were killed when the Syrian army, backed by armor and snipers, opened fire on the southern city of Daraa and the Damascus suburb of Douma. The crackdown is particularly troubling because there were no active demonstrations in either location; the army is said to have conducted house-to-house searches and made many arrests. Bodies are lying in the streets and we can't recover them," said one activists who spoke to Al Jazeera. Syria has also sealed off its border crossing with Jordan. More than 350 people have died since March 15. In response to Monday's new surge, the U.S. condemned the violence and threatened sanctions.
