Syria denies Tremseh massacre allegations DAMASCUS, Syria, July 15 (UPI) -- The Syrian government was refuting accusations Sunday of a military massacre of anti-government rebels in the town of Tremseh. Responding to claims that more than 200 people were shot and shelled by tanks in the town Thursday, Syrian Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi said what happened "was a military operation and not a massacre," CNN reported. He denied allegations by rebels and observers the town came under siege. "It is quite absurd that there are some media outlets who were spreading rumors that the Syrian military dispatched 150 tanks in such a small area," Makdissi said. The government said the real death toll was 37, the BBC said. Meanwhile, the opposition Local Coordination Committees of Syria said by midday Sunday, 14 people had been killed by the military under standing orders from President Bashar al-Assad. Assad has defied international calls to step down and allow for democratic elections since the revolution began in March 2011. Opposition advocate Abdulbaset Sieda told CNN Sunday he was disappointed with the United States' performance in dealing with the situation. "With regard to America, specifically, we would like to say to President Obama that waiting for election day to make the right decision on Syria is unacceptable for the Syrians," Sieda said. We cannot understand that a superpower ignores the killing of tens of thousands of Syrian civilians because of an election campaign that a president may win or lose. Various estimates say as many as 14,000 civilians have been killed since the unrest began.