France, Sept. 3 -- French journalist Edith Bouvier has welcomed arrest warrants issued by Paris for Syria's ousted president Bashar al-Assad and six of his senior officials, more than a decade after a bombing in Homs killed two of her colleagues and left her badly injured.

"It's the first step toward the end of a vile impunity," said Bouvier, who was trapped in a makeshift media centre in the city on 22 February, 2012 when shells struck. "It was long, but we are finally getting there, it's wonderful."

The French warrants were signed on 19 August by investigating judges from the Paris court's crimes against humanity unit, but the decision only became public on Tuesday.

They target Assad and his closest allies for complicity in crimes ag...