"The State Department on Monday told American citizens to leave Syria as soon as they can and ordered some personnel at the U.S. Embassy in Damascus to depart the country, as the Syrian government steps up a brutal crackdown against pro-reform demonstrators.In a new warning, the department urged Americans to defer all travel to Syria, advised those already in the country to depart while commercial transportation is available and to limit nonessential travel within the country. Nonessential U.S. embassy staff and the families of all embassy personnel have been ordered to leave Syria. It said the embassy would remain open for limited services.
The warning said that Syrian government restrictions, including the short-term detention of foreign diplomats, made it difficult for the embassy to assess the security situation and that attempts by authorities to blame the unrest on outsiders could contribute to anti-foreigner sentiment.
The move came as thousands of Syrian soldiers backed by tanks and snipers moved in to the southern city of Daraa and opened fire on civilians, killing at least 11 people, witnesses said. More than 350 people have been killed in the violence since mid-March.
Earlier Monday, the Obama administration said it was considering "targeted sanctions" against Syria after government forces sharply escalated their deadly campaign to crush a five-week uprising.
"The brutal violence used by the government of Syria against its people is completely deplorable," National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor said. "The United States is pursuing a range of possible policy options, including targeted sanctions, to respond to the crackdown and make clear that this behavior is unacceptable."
A U.S. official said earlier that the measures under consideration include a freeze on assets and a ban on U.S. business dealings.
"The Syrian people's call for freedom of expression, association, peaceful assembly, and the ability to freely choose their leaders must be heard," Vietor said.
Sanctions would mark a more assertive approach by the Obama administration, which has been criticized by human rights groups for not doing more to curb Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's efforts to crush a month-long uprising against his autocratic 11-year rule.
Obama's response so far has been limited to tough words but little action against the Syrian government, in contrast to Washington's role in a NATO-led air campaign against Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's forces and its call for his ouster.
Washington is mindful of its limited ability to influence Damascus, which is already under a set of U.S. economic sanctions and is closely allied with U.S. foe Iran.
The Obama administration is also cautious about the potential for stoking instability on U.S. ally Israel's borders and wants to avoid further military entanglement in the Muslim world where it is involved in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Despite that, U.S. officials were looking for new pressure points with Assad as his tanks poured into Daraa where a human rights activist said at least 18 people were killed.
White House spokesman Jay Carney declined to say whether measures might be imposed against Assad himself, if Syria's oil industry might be targeted or whether there might be a broader push for U.N. sanctions."
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