Syrian government forces attacked an Arab League monitor Monday night, leading analysts to question whether the Arab League mission would continue even as it had barely begun.

The observer, a former officer in the Egyptian army, was shot by Syrian troops in the central city of Homs, according to a report broadcast on IDF Army Radio.

Arab League monitors arrived in Syria over the weekend to begin their task of evaluating whether President Bashar al-Assad and his troops were complying with an agreement to end the nine month-old crackdown on anti-government protesters and other opposition forces.

The wounded monitor accused the Syrian president’s military of genocide, according to the report.

At least 23 people were killed in Homs on Monday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The city has been shelled for days by Assad loyalist troops, opposition activists have reported.

More than 5,000 people have been murdered by government forces in clashes and by torture after being arbitrarily arrested and detained, according to the United Nations. Thousands more have been wounded, including children, and some have “disappeared.”