Beirut A French photojournalist and a prominent American war correspondent working for a British newspaper were killed on Wednesday by Syrian shelling of the opposition stronghold Homs as President Bashar Assads regime escalated its attacks on rebel bases by strafing from helicopter gunships, activists said.

Weeks of withering barrages on the central city of Homs have failed to drive out opposition factions that include rebel soldiers who fled Assads forces, AP reports.

Hundreds have died in the siege and the latest deaths further galvanised international pressure on Assad, who appears intent on widening his military crackdowns despite the risk of pushing Syria toward full- scale civil war.

" This tragic incident is another example of the shameless brutality of the Assad regime." US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said of the journalists killed.

" Thats enough now, the regime must go," said French President Nicolas Sarkozy after his government confirmed the two deaths. French spokeswoman Valerie Pecresse identified those killed as French photojournalist Remi Ochlik and American reporter Marie Colvin, who was working for Britains Sunday Times. Frances Foreign Minister, Alain Juppe, said the attacks show the " increasingly intolerable repression" by Syrian forces.

( TOP) Marie Colvin and ( BOTTOM) Remi Ochlik