WH: Assad's Actions 'Deplorable'

Politico reports:

The White House is keeping up its rhetorical barrage against the bloody crackdown waged by Bashar al-Assad – and threatening targeted sanctions against the Syrian strongman and his cronies in Damascus.

“The brutal violence used by the government of Syria against its people is completely deplorable and we condemn it in the strongest possible terms, ” National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor said in a statement early Monday.

“The United States is pursuing a range of possible policy options, including targeted sanctions, to respond to the crackdown and make clear that this behavior is unacceptable,” added Vietor, as Assad deployed tanks to quell growing unrest. “The Syrian people’s call for freedom of expression, association, peaceful assembly, and the ability to freely choose their leaders must be heard.”