Syria's regime on Sunday denied its forces used tanks and helicopters in an assault on Tremseh, saying what happened in the central village was the result of clashes with rebels and not a "massacre."

"Government forces did not use helicopters and tanks," foreign ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi told a news conference in Damascus, adding: "What happened was not an attack by the army on innocent civilians."

"The aim of this news conference is to tell people that what happened was not a massacre... It was a clash between regular forces and armed groups who do not believe in a peaceful solution. This is the reality, politically and militarily."