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Qusayr wounded make gruelling trek to Lebanon

Agence France-PresseJune 9, 2013 23:34

Exhausted by a gruelling five-day trek to reach safety in Lebanon over rocky mountains and valleys, Mohammad from war-torn Syria had to walk despite injuries to his leg while hiding from regime troops. Wounded in Qusayr, Mohammad, 35, is now being treated in a rudimentary hospital in Minieh, northern Lebanon, after Syrian troops and Hezbollah seized control of his town last Wednesday. For fear of retribution, Mohammad refused to reveal his real name. He was injured in shelling on Qusayr in central Syria on June 5, just hours before the border town fell out of rebel control.

Syrian army kills 100 people fleeing captured town: activists

Thomson ReutersJune 9, 2013 21:30

AMMAN (Reuters) - Forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad have killed at least 100 people who fled the town of Qusair after it was captured by army troops and fighters from the Lebanese Shi'ite group Hezbollah last week, opposition activists said on Sunday. Most of the dead were hit by machinegun fire and a sustained bombardment over the past three days as they tried to cross a highway east of Qusair to areas beyond the reach of Assad's forces, the activists said.

Major military exercises under way in Jordan

Agence France-PresseJune 9, 2013 18:31

Jordan on Sunday announced the start of military exercises involving more than 8,000 soldiers and observers from 19 different countries, but insisted the manoeuvres were unrelated to the conflict in neighbouring Syria. Around 4,500 US troops and 3,000 Jordanian soldiers are taking part in the air, land and sea "Eager Lion 2013" exercise, which lasts until June 20. "Eager Lion this year will focus on irregular warfare, like combatting terrorism and insurgency," Major General Awni el-Edwan, the Jordan Armed Forces' operations chief of staff, told reporters.

Tanks in Beirut as Syria protest leaves one dead

Thomson ReutersJune 9, 2013 15:48

By Laila Bassam BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanese troops blocked streets in Beirut with tanks and barbed wire for several hours on Sunday after the killing of a protester outside the Iranian embassy raised factional tensions already inflamed by the war in Syria. The man died during a clash between rival groups of Shi'ite Muslims after militiamen from the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement opened fire when protesters drew up at the embassy.

Syria army preparing for Aleppo battle: security source

Agence France-PresseJune 9, 2013 10:34

Syria's army is preparing to launch an assault on Aleppo aimed at driving rebels out of the northern city and surrounding province, a Syrian security source told AFP on Sunday. The announcement comes five days after the army and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah seized Qusayr in central-west Syria, a year after the strategic region had fallen into rebel hands. "It is likely the battle for Aleppo will start in the coming hours or days, and its aim is to reclaim the towns and villages (under rebel control) in the province," the source said on condition of anonymity.

Lebanon will 'pay cost' of Syrian conflict: Catholic cardinal

Agence France-PresseJune 9, 2013 09:30

Lebanon will "pay the cost" of the Syrian conflict, a top Roman Catholic cardinal said in an interview. "Where do the refugees go? The Christians go to Christian homes in Lebanon, the Druze go to Druze homes in Lebanon, the Alawites go to their relatives (in Lebanon)," said Jean-Louis Tauran, who was secretary of state under pope John Paul II. "This country already has the problem of Palestinian refugees, those from the civil war of the 1980s, and now those from Syria," the 70-year-old French cardinal added in the interview Friday.

Syrian forces capture final rebel stronghold in Qusair region

Thomson ReutersJune 5, 2013 14:54

By Mariam Karouny BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian government troops backed by Hezbollah guerrillas seized the western village of Buwayda on Saturday, ending rebel resistance around the town of Qusair in a fresh success for President Bashar al-Assad. The swift fall of Buwayda came just three days after rebels were swept out of Qusair, denying them an important supply route into neighbouring Lebanon and giving renewed momentum to Assad's forces battling a two-year civil war.

Syria regime takes last rebel bastion near Qusayr

Agence France-PresseJune 8, 2013 12:34

Forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad have now seized all of the Qusayr area in central Syria, state television claimed on Saturday, as wounded rebels and scores of refugee families straggled into Lebanon. The reports come a day after the United Nations launched a record humanitarian aid appeal for Syria, warning of a regional "explosion" if fighting does not stop. Saturday's seizure of Eastern Bweida village, the last rebel bastion in the area, brought the entire Qusayr region near the border with Lebanon back under regime control.

Wounded rebels of Syria's Qusayr treated in Lebanon

Agence France-PresseJune 8, 2013 11:31

Dozens of Syrian and Lebanese fighters wounded in battle against forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad in Qusayr have been evacuated to Lebanon, security officials said Saturday. They were evacuated as the regime seized the last remaining insurgent bastion in the Qusayr area of central Syria, near the Lebanese border. The sources said the rebels included around 10 Lebanese Sunnis who had crossed to Syria to join the insurgency.

Wounded rebels of Syria's Qusayr treated in Lebanon

Agence France-PresseJune 8, 2013 10:38

Dozens of rebel fighters wounded in fighting against Syrian government forces in Qusayr have been evacuated to Lebanon, a security official said Saturday, as troops overran the last rebel bastion in the area. Scores of families fleeing the area have also braved a dangerous journey to safety in Lebanon, a local official said. "Some 30 wounded fighters are being treated in hospitals in the Baalbek area" of eastern Lebanon, the security official told AFP on condition of anonymity.