Syrians call for expulsion of US envoy

Syrians have gathered outside the US Embassy in Damascus, calling for the expulsion of the American ambassador over meddling in the country’s internal affairs.

Protesters carrying the Syrian flag and placard denouncing Ambassador Robert Ford, threw bottles, eggs and shoes at the US Embassy on Friday, the official Syrian Arab News Agency reported.

This comes as the Syrian Foreign Ministry criticized Ford on Thursday for his unauthorized visit to Hama without prior arrangements with Syrian officials, describing it as a “clear evidence” of a US attempt to incite instability in the country.

”The presence of the US ambassador in Hama city without obtaining a prior permission from the Foreign Ministry, as stipulated by instructions distributed repeatedly to all the embassies, is clear evidence of the US involvement in the ongoing events in Syria and its bid to aggravate the situation which destabilizes Syria,” the Foreign Ministry statement said.

The protesters further saluted the Syrian army, saying that all Syrians support it.

Thousands of people also gathered in the Bab Touma Square in Damascus, stressing that the Syrian people were well aware of the lies propagated in media channels across the world, with one protester describing the material as “expired horror movies.”

Similar pro-government protests were held in several locations throughout the country.

The Middle Eastern country has been experiencing unrest over the past months, with demonstrations being held both against and in support of the country’s President Bashar al-Assad.

The opposition accuses security forces of being behind the deaths of those killed during the unrest. The government, however, blames armed gangs who are strongly supported y the US, Israel and their regional allies for the deadly violence, saying that the unrest is being orchestrated from abroad.

Assad has vowed to bring those behind the killings to justice as several members of armed terrorist groups have been arrested so far.

In early June, at least 120 Syrian forces were killed when armed groups attacked them in the northwestern town of Jisr al-Shughour.