Embedded Player The Syrian government launched a major tank offensive against its own citizens in the city of Hama and an eastern city on Sunday. Activists and western diplomats say the death toll is more than 100 across the country, in what appears to be an all out effort to crush a four month uprising against Syrian President Bashar al Assad. "They were trying to protect the barricades that they had put up to all entrances to the city," NPR's Deborah Amos tells weekends All Things Considered host Guy Raz. "Hama plays a symbolic role in the history of the Middle East...and at the same time Hama has played a significant role in the protests."