Annan in Syria to Salvage Plan After Government Attacks Hama

International peace envoy Kofi Annan is in Damascus to try to salvage his peace plan for Syria, where rights activists reported a new government assault on the central city of Hama that killed at least 34 people.

After arriving in the Syrian capital on Monday, Mr. Annan repeated his appeal for all sides in Syria’s 15-month conflict to end the violence. He also said he was “shocked” by what he called the “tragic” killings of at least 108 people in the rebellious town of Houla on Friday.

Syrian officials said the former U.N. secretary-general would meet Foreign Minister Walid Moallem later in the day and President Bashar al-Assad on Tuesday.

As Mr. Annan traveled to Syria, rights activists said security forces bombarded several neighborhoods of Hama from Sunday into early Monday in retaliation for rebel attacks on government positions. They said the fighting killed soldiers, rebels and at least 13 civilians. The casualties could not be independently confirmed.