Syrian regime, fighters boost forces for Qusayr battle

DAMASCUS: The Syrian Army backed by Hezbollah fighters bolstered its positions in the embattled opposition stronghold of Qusayr yesterday, as rebels prepared for a renewed assault, raising fears for trapped civilians.
The opposition Syrian National Coalition issued a statement saluting rebel fighters in the town, including new battalions that have arrived in recent days. And in Lebanon, the conflict spilled over, with rocket fire once again landing in the eastern Bekaa region.
“There are ongoing clashes in northern Qusayr, and the opposition fighters are fighting with everything they've got,” Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights watchdog, said. “Regime forces are reinforcing the sites that they have north of the city, including Dabaa airport and Jawadiya,” he added.
The group said at least 15 tanks were massed at government-held points north of Qusayr, which is considered a key strategic prize by both the regime and the rebels.
It sits on the route between the capital Damascus and the coast, and lies near the Lebanese border, providing a key rebel conduit for weapons and fighters.
Abdel Rahman, whose watchdog relies of a network of activists, doctors and lawyers on the ground, said around 1,000 wounded people were trapped inside the town.
“The medical situation is very bad,” he said. The Syrian National Coalition, the key opposition umbrella group, praised the rebel forces in the town.
“The heroes of the Free Syrian Army prove every day that they are worthy of the responsibility that the people have entrusted them with,” the group said.
“The people will continue their struggle to liberate their land, whatever it takes, and will force Hezbollah to withdraw its forces from all of Syria,” it added.