Amid unabated violence in his country, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is expected to deliver a speech Tuesday - the same day the U.N. Security Council will meet for the first time this year to discuss the situation in the embattled country.
Al-Assad will address national developments before noon (5 a.m. ET) Tuesday, the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) announced.
Hours later, the U.N. Security Council will take up the issue of Syria, where reports of a brutal and sustained government crackdown on anti-regime protesters have yielded international condemnation.

Thousands have been reported killed by security forces throughout the uprising. Death estimates range from 5,000 to more than 6,000. But the Syrian government has consistently blamed the violence on "terrorists."