<blockquote>“Hardly a day goes by when our senses are not bludgeoned by some new outbreak of terrorism in the Middle East.  Despite our best efforts at making and keeping the peace, political, economic, and religious tensions often lead to unrest, violence, and riots.”
<p style="text-align: right;">-Jim Bakker in “Prosperity and the Coming Apocalypse”</p>
</blockquote>

The United Nations is reporting that on the heels of the Houla massacre observers have found 13 shooting victims apparently executed outside the city of Deir al-Zour.

The men were found with their hands bound behind their backs with most shot in the head. UN leadership in the country is characterizing the actions as an “appalling and inexcusable act.”

Despite world wide outcry against the Syrian government for their massacre of citizens including executions of almost 50 children in the Houla massacre, no resolution is able to proceed in the UN Security Council because Russia is using it’s permanent veto. The Russian government has repeatedly stated it is “categorically opposed” to any foreign intervention in Syria. Russia is the main supplier of weapons to the Syrian military.

After a closed-door meeting the UN Security Council, US ambassador to the UN Susan Rice said that escalation of the conflict in Syria is the most likely scenario and that the violence could spread to surrounding countries in the region.

In addition to the 13 men found executed, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported 26 other deaths in attacks around Syria on Wednesday.