Security Council diplomats wrangle as violence intensifies in Syria Showdown in Syria NEW: At least 15 people are killed across Syria on Wednesday, opposition activists say NEW: Syrian state-run media reports a suicide bombing targeting a national security building The U.N. Security Council must decide this week on what to do about 300 observers in Syria Diplomats are weighing draft resolutions from the West and Russia (CNN) -- With a Friday deadline looming, the U.N. Security Council could vote Wednesday on a resolution deciding the fate of 300 U.N. monitors in Syria. The observers' work has been largely curtailed due to relentless violence that has surged in recent weeks and has moved into the Syrian capital of Damascus. The violence raged once again Wednesday, when loud explosions and heavy gunfire pierced through the air in Damascus, the opposition Local Coordination Committees of Syria said. Syrian state-run TV reported that a suicide bombing targeted a national security building in the capital, but did not immediately mention casualties. Meanwhile, in the besieged city of Homs, "regime forces have intensified the shelling by using helicopter gunships, artillery and mortars in the city," the LCC said. At least 15 people were killed across the country by mid-day Wednesday, the opposition network said. Halfway across the world, Security Council diplomats in New York are wrangling this week over dueling draft resolutions on the Syrian crisis. Western countries are pushing for a resolution that threatens sanctions against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime if government forces don't stop attacks. That draft also calls for renewing the U.N. observer mission for 45 days. Russia, meanwhile, has put forth its own draft, which "strongly urges all parties in Syria to cease immediately all armed violence in all its forms." The Russian draft also calls for renewing the U.N. observer mission for three months. On Tuesday, British Foreign Secretary William Hague visited the Syrian-Jordan border and said his visit "brought home to me the full extent of the human tragedy unfolding in Syria." He saw footage of al-Assad's forces "shooting at civilians fleeing over the border," Hague wrote on Facebook. I met men and women who had walked for months to escape the fighting. I spoke to women from Homs, whose houses had been destroyed, their homes looted and members of their family killed. It left me in no doubt that the U.N. Security Council must pass an urgent Chapter VII resolution making possible globally-enforced sanctions if President Assad does not comply with Kofi Annan's peace plan. Our diplomats in New York are working urgently on this today. Annan is the joint envoy to Syria for the United Nations and the Arab League. Russia and China, which have major trade deals with Syria, have previously blocked some of the toughest Security Council efforts. Annan met Tuesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. He called it "a very good discussion" about what to do to end the violence in Syria and bring about a political transition. "Obviously, the discussions in the Security Council regarding the resolution also came up," Annan told reporters after the meeting. And I would hope that the council will continue its discussions and hopefully find language that will pull everybody together for us to move forward on this critical issue. In New York, members of the Syrian National Council, a prominent political opposition group, told reporters that the Security Council must do more to protect people on the ground against escalating violence. Bassma Kodmani said the SNC is ready to explore "other alternatives," including calling on regional powers, to help protect the Syrian people if the deadlock at the Security Council persists. She further blamed the uncertainties and division of the international community over Syria for the opposition's inability to unify. "If you want unity of one of voice of the Syrian opposition you will not get it, but if you want a joint position on what the objective is, I think we have it," she said. But even as al-Assad's regime faced growing pressure to halt the violence, state-run TV gave Syrians a very different picture. Pro-military videos showed Syrian soldiers in a glowing light -- in a couple of cases literally. Soldiers were shown smiling, kissing children, marching in sync and carrying out numerous exercises. Some members of the military were showing using martial arts to chop flaming bricks. Others jumped through flaming hoops. Syrian state-run media consistently blames violence in the country on "armed terrorist groups." CNN's Richard Roth, Holly Yan, Salma Abdelaziz, Josh Levs and Brian Walker contributed to this report.