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(CNN) -- United Nations monitors attempting to get to the scene of another massacre in Syria were fired upon, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Thursday.
This comes as Ban, international envoy Kofi Annan and others implored the U.N. General Assembly to stop the violence in Syria, which started 15 months ago when a tough Syrian crackdown against peaceful protesters developed into an uprising.
The massacre occurred on Wednesday in the village of Qubeir, west of Hama, amid reports that dozens of civilians, including women and children, were slain.
Ban said the U.N. monitors were initially denied access to the area and were working to get to the scene.
"I just learned a few minutes ago that while trying to do so, the U.N. monitors were shot at by small arms," he said.
Maj. Gen. Robert Mood, head of the U.N. Supervision Mission in Syria, said observers heading to the village to verify reports of the killings have been blocked by soldiers and civilians. Residents also observers that they are at risk if they enter the village.
"Despite these challenges, the observers are still working to get into the village to try to establish the facts on the ground. UNSMIS is concerned about the restriction imposed on its movement as it will impede our ability to monitor, observe and report," Mood said.
Annan, the envoy tasked with forging peace in Syria, deplored the Qubeir massacre and told assembly members Thursday that Syrians could face the prospects of full-blown civil war if peace isn't made.
Speaking before the U.N. General Assembly, Annan said the six-point plan he forged isn't working and the "crisis is escalating."
"If things do not change, the future is likely to be one of brutal repression, massacres, sectarian violence and even all-out civil war," Annan said. "All Syrians will lose.
"The violence is getting worse. The abuses are continuing. The country is becoming more polarized and more radicalized. And Syria's immediate neighbors are increasingly worried about the threat of spillover."
Annan, who is the joint special envoy of the United Nations and the Arab League, said three months after he accepted the "tough job" to forge peace and launch a "political process for transition," success has not occurred.
"Despite the acceptance of the six-point plan and the deployment of a courageous mission of United Nations observers to Syria, I must be frank and confirm that the plan is not being implemented," he said.
Annan said Arab League ministers he addressed Saturday "offered concrete ideas on how to increase pressure for compliance."
"Clearly, the time has come to determine what more can be done to secure implementation of the plan and/or what other options exist to address the crisis," he said.
He spoke amid worldwide horror over the Qubeir massacre and another in Houla two weeks ago. More than 100 people, including women and children, were killed in Houla. Opposition activists blamed it on government forces and allied militia, a claim Syrian President Bashar al-Assad denied.
"This took place just two weeks after the massacre in Houla that shocked the world. Those responsible for perpetrating these crimes must be held to account. We cannot allow mass killing to become part of everyday reality in Syria," Annan said.
He said he told al-Assad nine days ago that his peace plan was not being implemented.
"I strongly urged him to take bold and visible steps to now radically change his military posture and honor his commitments to the six-point plan. I urged him to make a strategic decision to change his path. I also made clear that his government must work with my mediation effort on behalf of both organizations that I represent. President Assad believed the main obstacle was the actions of militants. Clearly, all parties must cease violence. But equally clearly, the first responsibility lies with the government," he said.
Even though Syria has released some detainees and there has been agreement "on modalities for humanitarian assistance," more is required, Annan said.
After the conversation, he said, "shelling of cities has intensified" and "government-backed militia has free rein with appalling consequences." Also, he said, al-Assad's address at the National Assembly this week has not indicated charge.
Annan said armed opposition forces haven't seen a "reason to respect cessation of hostilities" and "have intensified their attacks." Referring to bombings in Damascus and Aleppo, he said the situation is "made more complex" by attacks that are "indicative of the presence of a third actor." Some analysts say jihadist groups are responsible for those acts.
"We must find the will and the common ground to act -- and act as one. Individual actions or interventions will not resolve the crisis. As we demand compliance with international law and the six-point plan, it must be made clear that there will be consequences if compliance is not forthcoming. We must also chart a clearer course for a peaceful transition if we are to help the government and opposition, as well as Syrian society, to help resolve the crisis," he said.
Annan will also address the Security Council in New York. The council comprises 15 countries, while the assembly is made up of 193 members of the United Nations.
Ban also sounded the alarm about deteriorating conditions in Syria. He said the country "is at the pivotal moment. So are we. Syria and the region can move from tipping point to breaking point. The dangers of full-scale civil war are imminent and real."
Syrian Ambassador to the U.N. Bashar Jaafari repeated the government's position that anti-government terrorists, and not the regime, are responsible for the massacres and the bloodshed during the crisis. The government blamed a terrorist group for the latest massacre, saying it was timed to coincide with the U.N. meetings to make the regime look bad.
He said Syria is open to true reform, the government is amenable to dialogue, and it has no problem with the opposition. However, he said, some forces are taking up arms and have no desire for reconciliation. He also said outside elements are instigating violence in the country.
Opposition activists accuse forces loyal to al-Assad of the killings at Qubeir, and they placed the number of dead at 78.
Regime forces shelled Qubeir before militias on foot used knives, guns and AK-47 rifles to kill residents, the opposition Local Coordination Committees of Syria said.
About 40 victims of the attack were buried in a mass grave Thursday, according to a youth activist whom CNN is not naming for safety reasons. Shabiha -- or pro-government gangs -- took other bodies to neighboring villages, the activist said. More than half of those killed were women and children, according to a local activist who claimed to have carried bodies.
CNN cannot independently confirm reports from within Syria because the government strictly limits access by foreign journalists.
International outrage has grown over the recent violence, reviving calls to isolate the regime and toughen sanctions.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, meeting in Istanbul with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Thursday, called the latest violence "simply unconscionable." She said al-Assad must go and the international community must unite around a plan for Syria after al-Assad.
Clinton said it is important to give Annan's peace initiative "the last amount of support we can muster."
Davutoglu, whose country has been harshly critical of the al-Assad regime's actions, said all members of the U.N. Security Council must work together to stop the regime's actions.
China and Russia, steadfast regime allies, have stressed their opposition to outside interference in Syria and continue to back Annan's plan. As permanent Security Council members, the two nations have veto powers and have blocked tough draft resolutions against the regime.
Meeting in Shanghai on Thursday, leaders of Russia, China and four Central Asian nations signed a statement opposing outside intervention in Syria. The statement called for "dialogues that respect Syria's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity."
The United States plans to send a delegation to Russia this week to press for tough action against the Syrian regime, a senior State Department official said.
At least 15 people have been killed so far Thursday in Syria, the Local Coordination Committees of Syria said.
The United Nations for months has said more than 9,000 people have died in Syria. But death counts from opposition groups range from more than 12,000 to more than 14,000. Tens of thousands of people have been displaced.
