(CNN) -- With the carnage in Syria showing no sign of abating, U.N. peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi met Monday with Syria's president in hopes of making headway in ending the country's civil war.
"We have exchanged opinions about the possible steps that can be taken in the future," Brahimi told reporters after meeting with President Bashar al-Assad.Read more: Syria firing more Scud missiles, NATO says"The president spoke about his view regarding this situation. I also talked about the meetings I had abroad in several cities with various officials in the region and outside of the region. I also talked about what steps which I see appropriate to be taken to help the Syrian people to get out of this crisis," he said.if (typeof cnnArticleGallery == "undefined") {var cnnArticleGallery = {};}if(typeof cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList =="undefined"){cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList = [];}var expGallery51=new ArticleExpandableGallery();expGallery51.setImageCount(32);//cnn_adbptrackpgalimg("Showdown in Syria", 1);
A man walks near a missile on Tuesday, December 25, at an army barracks outside Damascus, Syria, that has been taken over by the Free Syrian Army. Click through to view images from Syria from December, or see photos of the conflict from November.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":true,"x":5,"y":1,"pos":1,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} 
Free Syrian Army fighters prepare a homemade missile before they launch it toward the military airport in Aleppo, Syria, on Sunday, December 23. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":5,"y":1,"pos":2,"title":"Showdown in Syria"}
Free Syrian Army members display shrapnel from what they say are the remains of a rocket fired from the Syrian army in northern Aleppo on Thursday, December 20. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":5,"y":1,"pos":3,"title":"Showdown in Syria"}
An unexploded bomb is seen lodged in a street in Ghouta, east of Damascus, Syria, Wednesday, December 19.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":5,"y":1,"pos":4,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} 
A Free Syrian Army fighter aims his weapon through a hole in the wall of the structure where he is positioned in the Qastal Harami area of Aleppo on December 19.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":5,"y":1,"pos":5,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} 
A child sits in the back of a vehicle at the border crossing leading to Masnaa, Lebanon, as people wait to stamp their documents before leaving Syria on December 19. Click through to view images from Syria from December, or see photos of the conflict from November.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":5,"y":1,"pos":6,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} 
Palestinian children who fled the Syrian refugee camp of Yarmuk wait at the Masnaa Border Crossing leading into Lebanon on December 19.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":5,"y":1,"pos":7,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} 
Syrians line up outside a bakery offering cheap bread in Aleppo, Syria on Sunday, December 16. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":5,"y":1,"pos":8,"title":"Showdown in Syria"}
A Syrian boy walks past a rebel fighter in the northern town of Darkush, Syria, on Friday, December 14.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":5,"y":1,"pos":9,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} 
Two men on a motorcycle lead a horse through the northern town of Darkush, Syria, on December 14, 2012.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":5,"y":1,"pos":10,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} 
Rebel fighters push out a boat carrying two Syrian women fleeing to Turkey through the Orontes River near the northern Syrian town of Darkush on December 14.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":5,"y":1,"pos":11,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} 
Passengers gather at a terminal at the airport in Aleppo, Syria, on Wednesday, December 12.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":5,"y":1,"pos":12,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} 
A member of the Syrian opposition's Al-Buraq Brigade stands guard on a main road in the northern Syrian town of Ain Dakna near the Turkish border on Monday, December 10. Click through to view images of the fighting from December, or see photos of the conflict from November.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":5,"y":1,"pos":13,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} 
A Free Syrian Army fighter takes position as he aims his weapon in Aleppo's al-Amereya district on Tuesday, December 11.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":5,"y":1,"pos":14,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} 
Men warm themselves by a fire on a street corner in Aleppo, Syria, on Sunday, December 9.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":5,"y":1,"pos":15,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} 
A rebel soldier watches Al-Jazeera news in a shop near the front lines in Aleppo on December 9.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":5,"y":1,"pos":16,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} 
A rebel soldier prays in a shop in Aleppo on December 9.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":5,"y":1,"pos":17,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} 
Syrians mourn a fallen fighter at a rebel base in the al-Fardos area of Aleppo on Saturday, December 8.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":5,"y":1,"pos":18,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} 
A Syria rebel commander sits behind a desk in his bombed-out position in Aleppo on December 8.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":5,"y":1,"pos":19,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} 
A Syrian rebel fighter emerges from a hole in a wall in Aleppo on December 8.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":5,"y":1,"pos":20,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} 
Rebel fighters take part in a demonstration against the Syrian regime after Friday prayers in Aleppo on December 7.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":5,"y":1,"pos":21,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} 
A wounded rebel fighter is transported to a hospital in the back of a truck in Aleppo, Syria, on Thursday, December 6. At least 23 people died in Syria on Thursday, most of them in Damascus and Aleppo, according to the opposition Local Coordination Committees of Syria. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":5,"y":1,"pos":22,"title":"Showdown in Syria"}
Rebel soldiers stand guard inside a building in Aleppo on December 6. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":5,"y":1,"pos":23,"title":"Showdown in Syria"}
Angelina Jolie, special envoy for the U.N. refugee agency, meets with Syrian refugees at the Zaatari refugee camp outside Mafraq, Jordan, on December 6. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":5,"y":1,"pos":24,"title":"Showdown in Syria"}
In this handout from the Shaam News Network, Free Syrian Army fighters stand guard against forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the Al-khalidiya neighborhood of Homs on Tuesday, December 4. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":5,"y":1,"pos":25,"title":"Showdown in Syria"}
In this handout from the Shaam News Network, Free Syrian Army fighters take cover in destroyed buildings during clashes with regime forces on December 4.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":5,"y":1,"pos":26,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} 
Syrians cross the border from Ras al-Ain, Syria, to the Turkish border town of Ceylanpinar on Tuesday, December 4. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":5,"y":1,"pos":27,"title":"Showdown in Syria"}
Boys walk through a damaged area In Aleppo, Syria, seen through a destroyed car on December 4.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":5,"y":1,"pos":28,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} 
A man inspects rubble in a neighborhood of Aleppo on Sunday, December 2.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":5,"y":1,"pos":29,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} 
The bodies of three children reportedly killed in a mortar shell attack are laid out for relatives to identify at a makeshift hospital in Aleppo on December 2. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":5,"y":1,"pos":30,"title":"Showdown in Syria"}
Smoke rises from fighting in the Hanano and Bustan al-Basha districts of Aleppo on Saturday, December 1. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":5,"y":1,"pos":31,"title":"Showdown in Syria"}
Syrian-Kurdish women and members of the Popular Protection Units, an armed opposition group to the Syrian government, stand guard during a comrade's funeral in a northern Syrian border village on December 1.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":5,"y":1,"pos":32,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} Photos: Showdown in Syria Event.observe(window, 'load', function() {//report the first gallery image to ADBPif(typeof(cnn_adbptrackpgalimg) == 'function' && typeof(cnnArticleGallery) != 'undefined') {cnn_adbptrackpgalimg(cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[0].image, "");}});var currExpandable="expand25";if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);}var mObj={};mObj.type='video';mObj.contentId='';mObj.source='world/2012/12/23/jamjoon-syria-violence-saturday.cnn';mObj.videoSource='CNN';mObj.videoSourceUrl='';mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/121223121744-jamjoon-syria-violence-saturday-00003909-story-body.jpg";mObj.lgImageX=300;mObj.lgImageY=169;mObj.origImageX="214";mObj.origImageY="120";mObj.contentType='video';CNN.expElements.expand25Store=mObj;var currExpandable="expand35";if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);}var mObj={};mObj.type='video';mObj.contentId='';mObj.source='international/2012/12/21/watson-syrian-wedding.cnn';mObj.videoSource='CNN';mObj.videoSourceUrl='';mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/121221080049-watson-syrian-wedding-00014912-story-body.jpg";mObj.lgImageX=300;mObj.lgImageY=169;mObj.origImageX="214";mObj.origImageY="120";mObj.contentType='video';CNN.expElements.expand35Store=mObj;var currExpandable="expand45";if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);}var mObj={};mObj.type='video';mObj.contentId='';mObj.source='sports/2012/12/21/watson-syria-football-west-asian-championship.cnn';mObj.videoSource='CNN';mObj.videoSourceUrl='';mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/121221052638-syria-players-celebrate-story-body.jpg";mObj.lgImageX=300;mObj.lgImageY=169;mObj.origImageX="214";mObj.origImageY="120";mObj.contentType='video';CNN.expElements.expand45Store=mObj;"The situation in Syria remains worrying. We hope that all parties embrace the solution which the Syrian people want and aspire to have."Monday's was the latest in several visits Brahimi has made to Damascus since August, when he was appointed joint U.N.-Arab League special envoy to Syria.Read more: Russia: Syria consolidates its chemical weaponsIn October, he brokered a cease-fire between the government and rebels, but it disintegrated within hours when heavy fighting erupted once again.Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry on Monday denied media rumors that Moscow was sending commando units, air defense systems operators and military equipment to Syria, its longtime ally."No decisions to send commandos on board Russian warships (to Syria) have been made," Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov told reporters in Moscow, according to the state-run RIA Novosti news agency.He said Russia had not sent air defense systems operators to Syria either. "It's all nonsense ... and media speculation," Antonov said.Two landing ships that form part of Russia's Black Sea Fleet -- the Azov and the Nikolai Filchenkov -- were en route from Novorossiysk to the Syrian port of Tartus, where the Russian Navy has a maintenance base, RIA Novosti reported. The ships were carrying naval infantry units for protection during the voyage, it said.Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said Monday that Russia has a plan to evacuate Russian citizens from Syria, if necessary, the news agency reported.Opposition activists say more than 4,000 civilians have been killed in the past two months.The bloodshed continued on Monday with at least 156 people, including 21 children, killed across the country, the opposition Local Coordination Committees of Syria said.Read more: Opposition: More than 100 Syrians killed in bakery attackThe dead include 15 killed in Talbiseh, a city in Homs province, by airstrikes on a field hospital and bakery, according to the opposition group. Read more: Syrian rebels gaining ground in Aleppo, opposition saysA day earlier, scores of people were killed when warplanes bombed a bakery in the western village of Halfaya, opposition activists said Sunday.An activist who oversaw many of the burials said at least 109 people died. The hospitals could not handle all the wounded, Hassan Al-Rajb said.Read more: Patriot missiles a warning to Syria's al-Assad"There were dozens of dead thrown in the street," opposition activist Mahmoud Alawy said. "The residents were shocked and in a state of fear. It was chaotic."Videos posted on social media showed the purported aftermath of the attack. Many bodies had limbs apparently blown off, and others lay bloody in the streets and in rubble strewn over a sidewalk. Uniformed rebels from the Free Syrian Army and civilians scrambled to pull survivors from the wreckage.The state-run Syrian Arab News Agency blamed "armed terrorist groups" for the attack on Halfaya and accused them of having shot footage of the incident and blamed the government for the attack.Read more: Syrian regime approaching collapse, NATO chief saysHalfaya had lacked the ingredients for bread for about a week until Saturday, when an aid group delivered provisions, Alawy said. Hundreds of people lined up at the bakery Sunday.Alawy said the government has been shelling gatherings of people in recent days, since the Free Syrian Army liberated the town from Syrian government forces.British diplomat Alistair Burt said Monday he was "appalled" by what, if verified, "would be the most recent in a long line of human rights violations and abuses committed by the Syrian regime." Italy's foreign ministry issued its own statement saying "these horrific images offend human sensibilities and our concept of civilization."Many Syrians face shortages of food and other necessities as winter sets in. The United Nations estimates that more than 2.5 million people need humanitarian assistance.To address this crisis, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister and government spokesman Bulent Arinc said the Turkish Council of Ministers would donate 37,000 tons of flour to Syria, effective immediately, the semi-official Turkish news agency Anadolu Agency reported.Meanwhile, dissidents in the city of Homs said six rebel fighters died Sunday night after inhaling a white gas that had no smell, according to Rami Abdulrahman, director of the opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights."Gas was released and spread in the area after members of the regime forces threw canister bombs," Abdulrahman said Monday. "... The activists said that everyone who (inhaled) the gas felt severe headaches and some had seizures."The observatory called for the International Committee of the Red Cross to investigate the case.CNN cannot independently confirm government or opposition reports from Syria, as the government has restricted access by journalists.CNN's Salma Abdelaziz, Hamdi Alkhshali and Samira Said contributed to this report. 
December 21, 2012 -- Updated 1120 GMT (1920 HKT) 
Ivan Watson looks at the latest on Syria today. Among the topics is Putin saying he's not concerned by the Assad regime.
Syrian children don't paint flowers and teddy bears, but some of the images they saw in the hometowns they were forced to abandon -- bodies.December 14, 2012 -- Updated 2057 GMT (0457 HKT) 
The war has forced hundreds of thousands of people from their homes; the lucky ones have found shelter across the border in crammed camps.December 14, 2012 -- Updated 1215 GMT (2015 HKT) 
Half a million have registered as refugees -- but one Red Cross worker says the true figure is far higher as many are scared to register.December 14, 2012 -- Updated 1205 GMT (2005 HKT) 
CNN's Ivan Watson speaks to a 32-year-old violinist -- who used to perform at the Damascus Opera House -- about the life on the run.December 13, 2012 -- Updated 1120 GMT (1920 HKT) 
Amid the constant threat of a street battle erupting around the corner, a new underground TV channel has become must-see for residents of Aleppo.December 12, 2012 -- Updated 1044 GMT (1844 HKT) 
With the precision of a chef, Sheik Omar adjusts the flame under his pan. He mixes sugar with a noxious chemical to make bombs for opposition.December 5, 2012 -- Updated 1236 GMT (2036 HKT) 
Children elbow each other for the last burnt scraps of cracked wheat. Even as fighting subsides in parts of Aleppo, fear and chaos remain.November 17, 2012 -- Updated 2305 GMT (0705 HKT) 
Syrian fight overflows to Turkish town of Ceylanpinar, where residents deal with explosions, bullets or bombs coming from the Syrian side.December 5, 2012 -- Updated 1232 GMT (2032 HKT) 
Down a steep stone stairway and into the darkness lies a cold chamber that looks more like a dungeon than a home. CNN's Arwa Damon reports.November 9, 2012 -- Updated 1223 GMT (2023 HKT) 
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad made an ominous threat against foreign intervention, saying it would have a "domino impact" on the world.November 27, 2012 -- Updated 0311 GMT (1111 HKT) 
Photojournalist Robert King describes the bombs that fell on a hospital and other fatal attacks he saw in Syria.December 26, 2012 -- Updated 1209 GMT (2009 HKT) 
As the conflict drags on, hundreds of thousands of people see their homes and lifes destroyed. See the latest photos from Syria.December 17, 2012 -- Updated 1516 GMT (2316 HKT) 
CNN's Arwa Damon reports from inside Aleppo on a female Syrian war photographer breaking taboos in the name of freedom. October 11, 2012 -- Updated 1119 GMT (1919 HKT) 
The recent confrontation could ignite regional convulsions as Turkey is sucked into Syria, leading to belated actions from the international community.
Are you in Syria? Share your stories, videos and photos with the world on CNN iReport, but please stay safe.Today's five most popular stories
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