U.S. Says Assad Has Put Syria, Region on 'Very Dangerous Path'

The United States warned Thursday that President Bashar al-Assad had put Syria and the Middle East on a "very dangerous path," again toughening rhetoric on a crackdown by Damascus.

Washington appears to be moving towards a first direct call for Assad to go, a step it has so far resisted, and is preparing a new round of sanctions against his regime after an escalation of violence in the revolt hub of Hama.

"It has become very clear around the world that Assad's actions place Syria and the region on a very dangerous path," said White House spokesman Jay Carney.

"Assad is on his way out ... we all need to be thinking about the day after Assad as Syria's 23 million citizens already are."

"It is very safe to say that Syria will be a much better place without President Assad."

Carney had said on Wednesday that Washington had no interest in seeing Assad survive simply to preserve regional "stability," hardening its line on a "grotesque" crackdown on dissent.

Some analysts have speculated that Washington has been wary of directly calling for Assad to quit because of anxiety that sectarian chaos, civil war and a Middle East power vacuum might follow the demise of his regime.

Others say that the U.S. government has very limited leverage to impact the political situation in Syria, whether it calls for Assad's ouster or not.

On Wednesday, the U.N. Security Council issued a statement condemning "the widespread violations of human rights and the use of force against civilians by the Syrian authorities."

The bloodshed also drew strong remarks from Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, whose country has stonewalled firmer U.N. action, saying the situation is "dramatic" and expressing "enormous concern."

Witnesses and activists said security forces killed at least 37 people on Wednesday, 30 of them as tanks shelled Hama.