Cairo - Feb 4, 2012 - 18:11

The Arab League renewed its call on Saturday for Syria to end its brutal crackdown on protesters, after an assault on the city of Homs killed at least 237 civilians.

The 22-member body expressed "its utmost disapproval at the continued and increasing violence and fighting in Syria," referring to incident in Homs as "the most violent."

It said "the escalation of violence has put the Syrian crisis on a dangerous new curve which will lead to an aggravation of the situation and an increase in deaths."

The League called on the Syrian government "to stop the use of force against protesters and stop the killing."

It urged Damascus "to stop pursuing a security-driven solution which has proved unsuccessful."

It also called on all sides to stop using violence and to clear the way for Arab and international efforts to find a diplomatic solution to the crisis.

The statement came after the Arab League's parliament chief called on member states to expel pro-regime Syrian ambassadors but before Russia and China vetoed a draft UN Security Council resolution condemning the violence.