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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran | |
| Key Rebel City Sieged in Syria by Assad Forces and Hezbollah | |
| 2015-07-05 | |
The army, with its Shi'ite ally Hezbollah, has long sought to wrest control of Zabadani from Sunni rebels who have held it since 2012, a year after the start of the Syrian civil war. The city is near the Lebanese border and the Beirut-Damascus highway that links the countries, and so capturing it would be a major strategic gain for Syrian President Bashar al Assad's government. Footage released on Hezbollah's TV channel al Manar and Syrian state TV showed large plumes of smoke rising from the city, and the sounds of aerial bombardment and heavy artillery shelling could be heard. New footage showed artillery rounds being fired from high ground in a mountain range that surrounds the Zabadani towards the center of the city. The once popular resort city, northwest of the capital Damascus, is one of the rebels' last strongholds along the border. It was part of a major supply route for weapons sent by Syria to Hezbollah before the 2011 outbreak of the Syrian conflict, which has killed over 200,000 people. The Syrian army said it had inflicted heavy casualties on "the terrorist groups fortified inside the city" and was advancing from several fronts towards their positions. A hilltop west of Zabadani that overlooks rebel positions, known as Qalat al Tel, was also captured, the army said. | |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #2 My bid of a nickel, a fresh band aide and two slugs was rejected. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2015-07-05 19:56 |
| #1 Reminder: Newsweek's value was already established: entire company sold for $1 |
| Posted by: Frank G 2015-07-05 11:21 |