E.U. foreign ministers are slapping new sanctions on the wife of Syrian President Bashar Assad, three other Assad family members, and eight Syrian government ministers, according to reports.
The new restrictions, which are slated to go into effect on Saturday, include a travel ban and the freezing of assets, The Associated Press reported. The wife of the Syrian president, Azma Assad, is a British native and holds British citizenship, which may mean she may still travel to England, AP said.
The point of the new restrictions is to try to bring an end to the Syrian regime's assault on the Syrian people, EU officials said. An estimated 8,000 people have been killed in Syria since an uprising against the Assad regime began about a year ago.
"Their behavior continues to be murdering and totally unacceptable in the eyes of the world," British Foreign Secretary William Hague said of the Syrian regime on Friday, AP reported.
Meanwhile, rebel fighters in Syria said that increasing Syrian security on the country's borders and the dwindling supplies of weaponry among the rebels are posing major problems for those fighting forces loyal to Assad, the Washington Post reported.