The Red Cross yesterday declared the Syrian  conflict a civil war as Damascus denied using heavy weapons in an attack on a village that left scores dead. The significance of the move by the International Committee of the Red Cross is that international humanitarian law now applies throughout the country. This means that attacks on civilians and abuse or killing of detainees can constitute war crimes. Scroll down for video Devastation: A Syrian boy walks past a burned-out house in the village of Treimsa, where rights activists say more than 150 people have been killed The decision by the ICRC follows the escalation of the violence beyond the hotspots of Idlib, Homs and Hama.
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New status means attacks on civilians and abuse or killing of detainees can constitute war crimes
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President Bashar al-Assad's government dismisses human rights activists' report of deaths in village of Treimsa
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Syrian foreign ministry claim attack on village was a military operation targetting armed fighters
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Syrian military claims only two civilians were killed in the assault
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UN monitors find pools of blood, burned-out homes and signs of heavy weapons use
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Incident believed to be one of bloodiest episodes of Syrian uprising
Destruction: A Syrian woman sits with her grandson outside a damaged building on @placeholder's main street