A militant group with links to al-Qaeda has beheaded three people in southern Yemen allegedly for spying for the United States.The three, one Yemeni and two Saudis, were executed by insurgents from the Supporters of al-Sharia, an affiliate of al-Qaeda, said the Yemeni website Barakish.net, citing local sources.

The executions were carried out on Sunday in the towns of Jaar and Azan in southern Yemen, where al-Qaeda radicals have a strong foothold, the report said.

Insurgents, suspected of links with al-Qaeda, have taken advantage of a year of political turmoil in Yemen to expand their influence in the impoverished Arabian Peninsula country.

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The Syrian army resumed Tuesday its attack on the rebel city of Homs. “The bombing of Homs which began at dawn is the most violent in the past five days. On average, two rockets fall every minute,” stated Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights.

According to the organization, new clashes between the forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad and the rebels killed 29 people Monday, including 18 civilians.

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Syrian security forces have renewed their assaults on the central cities of Homs and Hama, while anti-government forces are said to have killed soldiers in Idlib and a senior military official in Damascus, activists, rights groups and the state news agency report.

Opposition neighbourhoods in Homs were hit by tank and rocket bombardments on Saturday in the government’s continuing crackdown on protesters there, with the city’s Bab Amr area coming under concerted fire.

Rights groups say at least four people were killed during Saturday’s violence in Homs, and that three bodies of people who had been killed earlier were also recovered.

Security forces have also made house-to-house raids over the last two days in Homs, which has been under siege for the last week, anti-government activists have said. They say at least 300 people have been killed there since the government’s latest assault began on February 4.

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At least 47 people were killed across Syria on Monday as regime troops attacked the flashpoint city of Homs and opened fire in Damascus, Aleppo and Zabadani, activists said.

“It is the most intensive shelling on Baba Amro since the start of the protests,” one witness told Al Arabiya by phone.

Military helicopters are taking part in the shelling of Baba Amro, which caused a number of residential buildings to collapse, Syrian activists said.

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At least 337 people were killed in shelling by Syrian forces in the city of Homs, activists said on Saturday. Over 1300 were wounded. Homs attack is the deadliest so far in the Syrian regime’s crackdown on protests which erupted 11 months ago.

Locals said Syrian forces started shelling the Khalidiya neighborhood at around 8 p.m. on Friday using artillery and mortars. They said at least 36 houses were completely destroyed with families inside.

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