(Newser)
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After more than a year of describing the uprising against his rule as the work of scattered militant groups, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad now says the country is at war. "We are in a state of real war, in every aspect of the words, and when we're in a state of war, all of our politics has to be concentrated on winning this war," he told his newly appointed Cabinet yesterday in a speech aired on state television, Reuters reports.
Early today, rebel gunmen stormed a pro-government TV station south of Damascus, bombing a building and killing at least three employees, according to state media, which denounced the attack as a rebel "massacre against the freedom of the press," AP reports. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which complies reports from rebels, has confirmed that the raid took place and that employees were killed. The group says 135 people were killed across Syria yesterday, making it one of the conflict's deadliest days.
