Russia says U.N. must rule out Syria intervention

Russia signaled on Wednesday it would veto a draft U.N. resolution calling on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down unless it explicitly ruled out military intervention to halt the bloodshed touched off by protests against his rule.

Escalating violence in Syria has killed thousands of people and activists say Assad's forces have stepped up operations this week against opposition strongholds, from the Damascus suburbs to the cities of Hama and Homs and the border provinces of Deraa and Idlib.

Arab and Western states urged the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday to act swiftly on a resolution calling for Assad to delegate powers to his deputy and defuse the 11-month-old uprising against his family's dynastic rule.