A member of the Free Syria Army walks past a destroyed Syrian forces tank in the town Atareb in northern Aleppo province.
- Clinton: An end to violence and a start to a political transition might prevent a "catastrophic assault"
- At least 30 people are killed across Syria on Sunday, an opposition group says
- Ban Ki-moon elaborates on an idea to keep observers, but shift their work
(CNN) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Sunday that "the days are numbered" for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime.
"There is no doubt that the opposition is getting more effective in their defense of themselves and in going on the offense against the Syrian military and the Syrian government's militias," Clinton said during a press conference in Tokyo on Sunday.
And with a recent increase in defections from the al-Assad regime, "the sand is running out of the hourglass," Clinton said.
"The sooner there can be an end to the violence and a beginning of a political transition process, not only will fewer people die, but there's a chance to save the Syrian state from a catastrophic assault that would be very dangerous not only to Syria but to the region," she said.
Clinton, speaking at a Tokyo conference on Afghanistan, acknowledged that a peace plan brokered by U.N.-Arab League special envoy Kofi Annan has thus far failed to stymie the bloodbath in Syria that has continued for 16 months.
That violence raged on again Sunday, when at least 30 people were killed across the country, said the Local Coordination Committees of Syria, a network of opposition activists.
Despite the escalating chaos in Syria that led to the suspension of monitoring activities, the United Nations can continue to play a crucial role in the embattled country, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says in a report to be presented to the Security Council.
An advance copy of the report, which is circulating among Security Council members, was obtained by CNN ahead of a Wednesday briefing on Syria to the council by Joint Special Envoy Kofi Annan.
The document admits the efforts to implement Annan's peace plan -- which includes a cease-fire and take measures to protect human rights -- has not worked.
In some places, the levels of violence are even higher today than they were before an initial cease-fire attempt, the report says.
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The 300-strong U.N. team in Syria, whose mission is to observe and help implement the plan, has been unable to do its work as envisioned because of the current conditions, the document states.
Last month, the United Nations announced that it was pulling back its unarmed monitors because of escalating violence. Opposition groups slammed the international body for the suspension of its work.
Ban essentially put three options on the table are: withdrawing the U.N. team; increasing its size or adding armed protection for them; or retooling the mission of the current team.
Ban elaborates the most on the idea to shift the strategy of the current U.N. team.
The team could retain its military observer capability and continue its fact-finding work, but with a limited scope in light of the violence in Syria, the report says.
In this scenario, the U.N. mission would move its personnel from the field back to Damascus, where it would focus on pushing forward the six-point plan to the Syrian government and the opposition.
"From a central hub in Damascus, the civilian component would continue liaison and dialogue with opposition and Government representatives in the provinces as security conditions allow," Ban writes.
The other options -- withdrawal or augmentation of the force -- could have more negative consequences than good, the report concludes.
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Withdrawing from Syria would ensure the safety of the team, but it could signal a loss of confidence in the hopes of a cease-fire and leave the U.N. without a way to monitor progress, the report says.
Expanding the size of the mission, with or without armed protection, poses an "unacceptably high" security risk, given that there are no signs of the violence receding immediately, the report says.
These options must be considered, Ban writes, because "in spite of the best efforts of (the mission) to support the parties in the effort to de-escalate the crisis, there is not a cessation of violence, and the basic human rights whose protection is at the core of the (six-point) plan continue to be violated," the report says.
CNN cannot independently verify government and opposition claims of casualties because access to Syria by international journalists has been severely curtailed.
Analysis: Syria options dwindling
