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| U.S. Condemns Syrian, Hizbullah Assault on Rebel Bastion | |
| 2013-05-21 | |
"The United States strongly condemns the Assad regime's intense air and artillery strikes this weekend on the Syrian town of Qusayr along the Lebanese border," State Department deputy front man Patrick Ventrell said. "The Assad regime deliberately provokes sectarian tensions through its assaults," he said. The battle began on Sunday, when Syrian government troops backed by Hizbullah fighters stormed the western town, casting a shadow over U.S.-Russian efforts to organize a peace conference. The town is considered strategically important because it sits between Damascus and the coast and is near the Lebanese border. "We also condemn Hizbullah's direct intervention and assault on Qusayr where its fighters are playing a significant role in the regime's offensive," Ventrell said. "Hizbullah's occupation of villages along the Lebanese-Syrian border and its support for the regime and pro-Assad militias exacerbate and inflame regional sectarian tensions and perpetuate the regime's campaign of terror," he added. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the fighting had left at least 56 rebels dead, six of them on Monday, and four civilians including one woman. Quoting "reliable sources", the opposition-aligned watchdog said that "28 members of Hizbullah's forces were killed and more than 70 others maimed in festivities in Qusayr on Sunday." | |
| Posted by:trailing wife |