AP

BEIRUT A SYRIAN state-run newspaper accused UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Saturday of encouraging “terrorist” rebel attacks by focusing his criticism on the government, while other government media reported that the navy foiled an infiltration attempt by gunmen who tried to land on the Syrian coast in rubber boats.

Meanwhile, Syrian troops killed at least 10 rebels on Saturday in fighting in the Damascus region, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Separately, official news agency SANA reported three soldiers and two “terrorists” killed in Aleppo, as clashes erupted there between Syrian and “armed terrorist groups”.

The editorial in Tishrin daily came a day after Ban said Syrian President Bashar Assad’s continued crackdown on protests has reached an “intolerable stage.” It also followed what the state media said was a suicide attack in Damascus that left 10 dead.

Ban said the UN will try to speed up the deployment of up to 300 monitors to Syria. Only 15 are there now.

The Syrian comments were the harshest against the United Nations since a cease-fire brokered by international envoy Kofi Annan was supposed to take effect on April 12 but quickly unravelled.