<p>German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday called for an end to the "massacre" in Syria after fresh air strikes on a rebel-held enclave in the war-torn country killed another 13 people.<br /><br />Condemning the Syrian regime for targeting "its own people", Merkel said: "The killing of children, the destruction of hospitals -- all that amounts to a massacre that must be condemned and which must be countered with a clear no".<br /><br />At least 335 civilians have been killed since Sunday in the besieged enclave of Eastern Ghouta near Damascus as regime forces intensified their bombardment of the site.<br /><br />On the eve of a European Union summit, Merkel told the German parliament that the dire situation in Syria requires the bloc to seek "to play a bigger role" in ending the crisis.<br /><br />"That is something that we as Europeans need to work towards," she said.<br /><br />At the same time, Merkel also urged Iran and Russia -- both allies of Bashar al-Assad's regime -- to play their part in ending the killing.<br /><br />"We must do everything to find an end to this massacre," she said, adding that German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel would press the case with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.</p>
<p>German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday called for an end to the "massacre" in Syria after fresh air strikes on a rebel-held enclave in the war-torn country killed another 13 people.<br /><br />Condemning the Syrian regime for targeting "its own people", Merkel said: "The killing of children, the destruction of hospitals -- all that amounts to a massacre that must be condemned and which must be countered with a clear no".<br /><br />At least 335 civilians have been killed since Sunday in the besieged enclave of Eastern Ghouta near Damascus as regime forces intensified their bombardment of the site.<br /><br />On the eve of a European Union summit, Merkel told the German parliament that the dire situation in Syria requires the bloc to seek "to play a bigger role" in ending the crisis.<br /><br />"That is something that we as Europeans need to work towards," she said.<br /><br />At the same time, Merkel also urged Iran and Russia -- both allies of Bashar al-Assad's regime -- to play their part in ending the killing.<br /><br />"We must do everything to find an end to this massacre," she said, adding that German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel would press the case with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.</p>