Syrian security forces cracked down hard on rebels in Damascus and Aleppo on Friday, while U.N. diplomats condemned the Syrian government and criticized the Security Council for their roles in the country's 17-month old uprising.



Activists say Syrian troops stormed opposition strongholds in the suburbs of the capital and shelled some neighborhoods in the northern city of Aleppo, Syria's commercial hub.

The opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Friday that about two dozen people were killed in unrest across Syria.