Syrian Troops Push Further Into Damascus Suburbs Syria's troops crushed pockets of resistance on Damascus' outskirts Tuesday as they advanced into suburbs briefly held by rebel forces, just hours before key U.N. talks over a draft resolution demanding President Bashar Assad step aside. Government forces on Monday regained control of most of the capital's eastern suburbs after dissident soldiers captured the territory last week. Soldiers moved early Tuesday into the two remaining towns still in rebel hands, activists said. "Intense shooting was heard in Zamalka and Arbeen as the tanks advanced," the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, citing its network of sources on the ground. Regime forces made sweeping arrests in the nearby town of Rankous, activists said. The death toll from Monday's offensive rose to 100 people, making it one among the bloodiest days since the uprising began in March, according to the Observatory and the Local Coordination Committees, an umbrella group of activists. The bloodshed has increased in recent days as Western and Arab countries stepped up pressure on Assad's ally Russia to overcome its opposition to a draft resolution. Syrian army defectors distribute bread for children, in the Rastan area in Homs province, central Syria, on Monday Jan. 30, 2012. Syrian forces heavily shelled the restive city of Homs on Monday, and troops pushed back dissident troops from some suburbs on the outskirts of Damascus in an offensive trying to regain control of the capital's eastern doorstep, activists said. (AP Photo) Close French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe described what is happening in Syria as a "scandal" adding that Assad "has blood on his hands, so it's not possible that he continues to assume responsibilities." Juppe told French radio Europe-1 Tuesday, shortly before flying to New York for the U.N. Security Council meeting, that they would try overcome a possible Russian veto. Also Tuesday, army defectors gained full control of the central town of Rastan after days of intense clashes, according to a town activist who identified himself as Hassan. He refused to give his full name, fearing reprisals. The town was taken by defectors twice in the past only to be retaken by Syrian troops. Rastan is the hometown of former Defense Minister Mustapha Tlass, who held the post for more than three decades mostly under Assad's father and predecessor, the late Hafez Assad. Russia has been one of Assad's strongest backers. In October, Moscow vetoed the first council attempt to condemn Syria's crackdown and has shown little sign of budging in its opposition. Juppe ruled out a military intervention saying "things are very different from what happened in Libya. For example, in Syria you have communities that are divided and any exterior intervention could lead to a civil war.