Red Cross says Syria in civil war

07/16/12: Al Jazeera reports the International Committee of the Red Cross said Sunday that it now considers the Syrian conflict a civil war, as activists reported intense battles between rebels and government forces in Damascus.  The Geneva-based group’s assessment could have implications for prosecutions for war crimes and means that international humanitarian law applies throughout the country, though it will have little effect on the ground.  Also known as the rules of war, humanitarian law grants all parties in a conflict the right to use appropriate force to achieve their aims.  The qualification means that people who order or commit attacks on civilians including murder, torture and rape, or use disproportionate force against civilian areas, can be charged with war crimes in violation of international humanitarian law.