Syria rebels accused of massacring 25 people in village

At least 25 people have been killed and their bodies mutilated by “terrorists” in northern Syria, state media report.

The Sana state news agency cited sources as saying the victims had been abducted earlier on Friday from Darat Izza, a village in Aleppo province. Activists said 26 government supporters had been shot dead by rebels. Meanwhile, the United Nations has said 1.5 million people are in need of humanitarian aid in Syria – an increase of 500,000 on its previous estimate. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said more and more were fleeing their homes because of the fighting between security forces and rebels, and that it was seriously hampering aid deliveries. Meanwhile, Russia’s foreign minister has told his Syrian counterpart to do more to implement the peace plan negotiated by the UN and Arab League envoy, Kofi Annan, under which a ceasefire came into force in April. “We called on [Syrian’s government] to back up their declarations about the implementation of the Kofi Annan plan with deeds,” Sergei Lavrov told reporters after meeting Walid Muallem in St Petersburg.