DHAKA: Syria’s air force struck Qara near the Lebanese border on Sunday as loyalist forces tried to storm the town where rebels have taken up positions.

A monitoring group said, reports Turkish daily Hurriyet.

‘Since the morning, the town of Qara has been hit by air strikes. Warplanes bombarded the town heavily yesterday. Regime troops are trying to storm it and to drive the rebels out,’ said Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director Rami Abdel Rahman.

The Britain-based group also said the opposition fighters in the town were determined to resist despite the pressure.

Pro-regime newspaper Al-Watan said ‘the army hit the Qalamoun mountains hard, closing in on the terrorists around Qara’, using the government’s term for the rebels.

Violence in the Qalamoun area has intensified since Friday.

Both the regime backed by Lebanese Shia Hezbollah fighters and rebels, including Al-Qaeda-affiliated jihadists, have escalated their presence in the area.

BDST: 1753 HRS, NOV 17, 2013
RoR/RK