Assad's forces have fired ballistic missiles against insurgency

Syrian armed forces in recent days fired Scud missiles against the insurgency, according to U.S. official sources said today the newspaper "The New York Times, who described the attack as a" significant escalation "of the conflict.. Meanwhile, Reuters reports citing sources from NATO , that research has identified these launches short-range ballistic missiles Scud inside Syria this week. In Libiam, the troops of the Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi, also launched Soviet missiles 'Scud' against the rebels. The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because it isclassified information , indicated that the missiles were launched from the area north of Damascus, Syria , in areas controlled by the opposition Syrian Liberation Army . It is unclear how many casualties they have caused, but the newspaper said it would be the first time the regime of President Bashar Assad launches an attack of this nature against targets inside Syria.

'Act of desperation'

The White House spokesman, Jay Carney would not confirm Wednesday in his daily briefing to the veracity of such attacks, butnoted that not be surprised that the regime thus acting against its own people. If the information on missile launches are true, it would be "an act of desperation" of the regime and "completely disproportionate", said the spokesman of the U.S. president, Barack Obama. The conflict that began nearly two years in Syria has caused over 40,000 civilian deaths , while the refugee exodus now exceeds 200,000 , according to UN figures.

Vulnerability

The sources revealed to The New York Times have noted how the launch of the missiles, but U.S. intelligence has been closely following the evolution of the conflict through aerial surveillance , for fear that Assad could order the use of chemical weapons. The Scud attack shows, according to experts, the increased pressure against Asad , since such weapons are primarily defensive missiles . Military experts told the newspaper that this move reflects the government's concern that Asad their aircraft are vulnerable to air defenses of the rebels. In recent weeks, the rebels have assaulted several military bases and have made air defense weapons capable of firing on Syrian aircraft.