Syrian Rebels Claim They Killed 250 Hezbollah in Damascus

Army Retakes Key Town North of Damascus

The Free Syrian Army has claimed to have killed at least 250 Hezbollah fighters today in fierce battles north of Damascus. They also claim to have “captured dozens” of others.

As usual for the Syrian war, the figures have not been independently verified, and will doubtless be contested by Hezbollah, which so far has put the death toll at 3.

There was fighting reported in metro Damascus, and particularly the north, as the Syrian military has taken over the town of Deir Attiyeh, along the highway between Damascus and Homs.

The town is one of the last rebel possessions in the south of Syria, and reflects the growing momentum of the civil war, with the military taking virtually total control of the south while the rebels solidify their control over the northwest, and Kurdish factions hold the northeast.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.