DW: UN Chief to send new Syria Envoy as Border Violence Rages!D

UN chief Ban Ki-Moon is calling upon the world community to act to stop the bloodshed in Syria, as violence spreads in the conflict between Syrian rebels and President Bashar Assad's forces. At least 24 people were in Syria on Saturday. Troops shelled areas in Damascus and its suburbs in the seventh day of fierce fighting with rebels, who claimed responsibility for the Wednesday bomb attack that killed the defense minister and three aides to Assad, including his brother-in-law, and fighting threatened to spill over the Jordanian border. "The Syrian government has manifestly failed to protect civilians, and the international community has a collective responsibility to live up to the UN charter and act on its principles," Ban said on Saturday. Ban said he would send an envoy to Syria to assess the situation, including French diplomat Herve Ladsous. "The situation is fluid and unpredictable, but the path to peace is clear. There must be an end to killing and human rights violations, and a rapid move towards a peaceful, Syrian led political transition and political dialogue," Ban said. Heavy clashes were reported in Syria's second city Aleppo on Saturday, regime forces reportedly shelling several neighborhoods. Hundreds were believed to be fleeing their homes. Until recently, the city has largely remained loyal to Assad. Violence between the rebels and government forces threatened to spill over the border with Jordan: Jordanian security sources said Saturday that border clashes escalated into all out war, with heavy shelling and rocket fire just a few meters from Jordanian soil. The rebel Free Syrian Army briefly gained control of the border Naseib crossing before being repelled again by Syrian troops. Such fighting is expected to continue!