Syria UPDATE

Gunmen assassinate Syrian army general in Damascus

   BEIRUT (AP) -- Syria's deputy foreign minister is defending the regime as
violence spreads. He says the government will "overcome difficulties" through
reforms and dialogue with its opponents -- and says betting on the collapse of Syria
"is betting on failure."
   The comments come on a day when gunmen assassinated an army general in
Damascus and violence in other parts of the country left at least 17 people dead.
   Syria's state-run news agency says three men opened fire as the general left
his home this morning. It's the first killing of a high-ranking military officer  in the
capital since the uprising against President Bashar Assad's regime began in March.
   Also today, regime troops have been pushing into rebel-held neighborhoods in
the central city of Homs and have seized parts of a mountain town north of Damascus.
   The conflict also has spilled into neighboring Lebanon, where at least two people
have been killed and a dozen wounded in battles between factions who support
opposite sides in Syria's fight.
   AP-WF-02-11-12 2057GMT