Syrian Government Forces Win Strategically Important Battle
June 5, 2013
Syrian government forces have retaken control of the Syrian city of Qusair. Rebels and government forces backed by fighters from the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah have for more than two weeks fiercely fought for control of Qusair, a strategically important city near the Lebanese border. According to the Syrian state television, a large number of rebels were killed in the battle and many others have surrendered in the face of a massive assault. Much of the city has been reduced to rubble. “There are reports of hundreds of [civilians] that have been wounded that have not been able to receive the necessary medical treatment,” an International Committee of the Red Cross spokesperson reported to the BBC.
Qusair consolidates the government’s control over much of the surrounding countryside, essentially cutting an important rebel supply line to the city of Homs and central Syria. Military experts suggest that taking Qusair gives new momentum to the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and will likely dampen prospects for U.S. and Russian-backed peace negotiations planned for later this month.
Forces loyal to Syrian president Bashar al-Assad have retaken a strategically important city in Syria's civil war. (AP/Wide World)
The intervention in the battle by Hezbollah—the Lebanese Shi’ite militant group allied with Assad—increased tensions throughout the region, particularly in Israel and Lebanon. During the battle, either Syrian rebels or their Sunni supporters in Lebanon launched rocket attacks into Hezbollah-controlled residential areas inside Lebanon including the city Tripoli.
Hezbollah, which backs Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, fired thousands of missiles into northern Israel in 2006. Hezbollah relies on Syria to provide a conduit for arms from Iran. Qusair is part of that conduit. Preserving the arms flow is a matter of life or death for Hezbollah. Stemming the flow is of primary importance to Israel.
The rebellion against the Assad regime began in March 2011 and has resulted in the deaths of an estimated 90,000 people and the destruction of World Heritage sites in the ancient city of Aleppo.
Additional World Book articles:
- Syria: The Roots of Rebellion (a special report)
- The Middle East: From Fall to Spring (a special report)
- Syria 2011 (a Back in Time article)
- Syria 2012 (a Back in Time article)
