Turkey’s prime minister has described Syria’s crackdown on protesters as “savagery” and accused the country’s president of taking the situation “too lightly.”

Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in an interview on ATV television late Thursday that some images coming out of Syria were “unpalatable” and suggested Turkey could support a UN Security Council decision against Syria.

Erdogan, who has developed a friendship with President Bashar Assad, had previously refrained from openly criticizing the 11-week long crackdown, urging the Syrian leader to enact reforms. The turnaround comes after some 2,500 Syrian refugees streamed into Turkey.

Erdogan said: “They are not acting in a humane manner. This is savagery.”

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