Hizbullah-Backed Syrian Troops Advance in Northern Qusayr Town
Syrian regime troops backed by Hizbullah fighters attacked the village of Hamadiyeh north of Qusayr of Wednesday, one of the last remaining rebel positions in the area, activists said.
"The Syrian regime is receiving help from Hizbullah and Iran. That's an increasing threat to regional stability," British Foreign Secretary William Hague told reporters at the Friends of Syria talks in Jordan's Amman.
"If the regime were to think they can win a military victory and goes back to whatever was normal before, I think they will be making a terrible error."
The battle for Qusayr has raised tensions in the Sunni-majority Lebanese city of Tripoli, home to a minority of Alawites, the Shiite offshoot to which Assad belongs.
As the Qusayr offensive began on Sunday, clashes erupted between the rival communities in the port city. At least 11 people have died since then.
On Tuesday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said more than 100 people had been killed in the fighting in Qusayr since the assault started, including 31 Hizbullah fighters, 70 rebels and nine soldiers.
The group says more than 90,000 people have been killed in the conflict in Syria since it began in March 2011.
Source: Agence France Presse
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