Syrian President Bashar Assad is determined to crush the rebellion against his regime, even at the cost of triggering a civil war in the country, bolstered by support from Moscow, analysts say.

"He has been ready to fight to the end right from the start and as long as he has Russia's support he believes he will win," Middle East expert Agnes Levallois told Agence France Presse.

Syria's leaders will have to answer for their "murderous folly", the French president's office said Monday, a day after the U.N. Security Council condemned the slaughter of civilians there, as the opposition Syrian National Council urged countries that support the revolt to honor their promises by helping Syrians defend themselves.

"The Houla massacre and the events of these last days in Syria and in Lebanon illustrate, once more, the danger of Bashar Assad's regime's actions for the Syrian people," said a statement.

The U.N. mission chief in Syria Major General Robert Mood on Saturday condemned the "brutal tragedy" in Houla, where he said 92 bodies, including those of more than 32 children, had been counted.

Mood said he condemns "in the strongest possible terms the brutal tragedy" in Houla in the central province of Homs, adding that U.N. monitors visited the area and counted 92 bodies, including "more than 32 under the age of 10."

Syrians showed in elections this month that they support the government's policy of reform and a majority back the regime, President Bashar Assad said in an interview broadcast Wednesday.

The results of the May 7 legislative poll showed that the Syrian people "are until now supporting the policy of reform" and "support the institutions of the state", Assad told Russia's Rossia-24 state news channel.

The head of the dissident Free Syrian Army charged in remarks published Sunday that al-Qaida has links with the powerful airforce intelligence of the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

"If al-Qaida militants have indeed entered the country, it happened with the cooperation of that agency," FSA chief, Colonel Riyadh al-Asaad, told Kuwait's Al-Rai newspaper.

The European Union is set to slap new sanctions on Syria, imposing an assets freeze and visa ban on two firms and three people, EU diplomats said Friday.

They said the measures targeting "mainly sources of revenue for the regime" would be decided at talks between EU foreign ministers next Monday.

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation on Friday said that it would likely contribute observers to the U.N. mission in Syria.

"I think OIC countries will contribute to the observer (mission) to be sent by the U.N.," OIC head Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said in Libreville during a meeting of information ministers of the 57-member pan-Muslim body.

The U.N. Security Council will vote Saturday on a Western-drafted resolution allowing a ceasefire observer mission in Syria even though Russia's support is in doubt.

The United States called for the vote after a second day of wrangling with Russia over security guarantees for the first 30 unarmed military monitors who U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan wants in Syria early next week.

Baath Party leader Fayez Shukur relayed on Wednesday Syrian President Bashar Assad’s interest in the death of al-Jadeed television cameraman Ali Shaaban.

He said in a statement after holding talks with Assad in Damascus: “Assad also voiced his keenness on uncovering the details of the incident.”

U.N. leader Ban Ki-moon on Monday “strongly” deplored the fatal cross-border shootings from Syria into Lebanon and Turkey earlier in the day, U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky said in a statement.

Ban also made a final plea for President Bashar al-Assad to halt attacks on civilians ahead of a Tuesday deadline to withdraw troops and heavy guns from Syria's cities.