The United States, along with the Netherlands, Australia, Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Canada are expelling Syrian diplomats in retaliation for the massacre of more than 100 people in the city of Houla over the weekend.
Most of the victims, including dozens of children, came face-to-face with their killers. According to reports, armed men went house to house slaughtering innocent civilians. Video of the aftermath shows a horrific scene — small bodies covered in white burial shrouds.
The al-Assad regime claims “terrorists” are behind the killings. A U.N. official said it’s clear “government forces were involved.”
Even with a small number of U.N. monitors on the ground in Syria, the government has never complied with the U.N.-backed peace plan they agreed to weeks ago.
Tonight Anderson speaks with New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman about the increasingly dire humanitarian crisis, and the world’s inaction. Friedman believes the priority is to prevent civil war and state collapse, predicting “a terrible human disaster” if the violence and chaos escalates.
Friedman also talks about the need to remove al-Assad from power, either through a deal brokered by Russia, or through an internal revolt and military coup.
Watch a preview and see the full conversation tonight on AC360 at 8 and 10pm ET. Share your thoughts with Anderson on Twitter.