Syria Today: The Battle for Qusayr

Regime bombardment of the town of al-Qusayr, near the Lebanese border, on Sunday

See also Middle East Today: Tunisia --- Clashes as Salafist Conference Banned
Sunday's Syria Today: The Back-and-Forth Fight Around Damascus

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Sunday was marked by reports of an escalating battle for al-Qusayr, near the Lebanese border, with claims of regime advance and dozens of deaths.

State news agency SANA declared, "The Syrian army entered the city of Quseir in Homs from several points and established security and stability in most parts of the city, killing a large number of terrorists, most of them foreign nationals and arresting others."

A "military source" said that "tens of terrorists threw down their weapons and surrendered while a number of them had been arrested".

Opposition fighters asserted that Syrian forces were not yet inside the walls of the city.

Fighters from Hezbollah were also involved in the attacks, with the Lebanese organisation, saying at least four had been killed.

Qusayr is strategically important because of its position between Lebanon and Homs, Syria's third-largest city, where regime forces have been trying to maintain control since their assault on insurgent-held neighbourhoods in early 2012 killed thousands.

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Deaths in Lebanese City of Tripoli

In two days of renewed fighting in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli, five people have been killed and about 50 wounded.

Clashes in Tripoli have recurred since last year between groups supporting and opposing the Syrian regime.

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Syrian activists say the latest fighting was ignited by tension over the assault by Syrian force on Qusayr, near the Lebanese border.

Three people were killed in the Sunni district of Bab Tabbaneh and another in the adjacent Alawite neighborhood of Jabal Mohsen. The fifth fatality was a Lebanese soldier.

Video of Hezbollah Involvement in Qusayr?

An opposition activist claims evidence of involvement of Hezbollah fighters and weapons in the battle for Qusayr near the Lebanese border:

British FM: “Compelling” Case for Lifting Arms Embargo

William Hague, the British Foreign Secretary, insisted today that there is a “compelling” case for lifting the EU arms embargo against Syria in order to provide further support to rebel groups and increase pressure on the regime.

In a statement to the Commons, he said:

The EU should give strong support to this diplomatic process, including by agreeing further amendments to the arms embargo without taking any decision at present about sending arms to the Syrian opposition.

....Changes to the embargo are not separate to the diplomatic work but essential to it. We must make clear that if the regime does not negotiate seriously at the Geneva conference, no option is off the table.

Hague added that arms would only be dispatched to rebels in coordination with other nations and only in "carefully controlled circumstances" to strengthen “moderates” and avoid the “current trajectory of extremism and murder.”

Insurgent Leader Kidnapped in Raqqa

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has called for the release of Abdullah Khalil, the lawyer who leads the rebel-controlled north-western city of Raqqa, who was allegedly kidnapped by an armed group on Sunday.

Khalil had been imprisoned in Raqqa’s military intelligence prison until rebels took over the city earlier this year and he was released under a general amnesty.

Syrian State Media: Army 'Restored Stability' to East Qusayr

Syria's state news agency, SANA, is reporting that the Syrian army has "restored security" to the eastern part of Qusayr, after "wiping out a large number of terrorists". Previously, SANA had said Assad's forces had captured "most parts" of the city.

SANA cited a "military source" as saying that Assad's forces had dismantled a number of "improvised explosive devices" planted by "terrorists" --- the term used by the Syrian government to describe the insurgency --- in the downtown market area.

The report added that the Syrian army is now attempting to rout insurgents from "hideouts in the north and south of the city".

BBC: Shia Fighters Enter Syria From Iraq To Aid Assad

The BBC's correspondent in Baghdad, Aleem Maqbool, reports that Shia fighters are crossing into Syria from Iraq to assist Bashar al-Assad's forces.

Maqbool reports an interview with one man who claimed to have recruited and prepared some of the "thousands" of Iraqi Shia fighters who have crossed over the border into Syria.

The Battle for Qusayr

Reports continue of fierce fighting in Qusayr, near the Lebanon border and 18 miles southwest of Homs.

State news agency SANA claims the army has taken control of most of the town, killing more than 100 "terrorists".

Activists deny that Qusayr had been captured, while saying that about 50 people have died in heavy shelling since Sunday and that Hezbollah fighters are among regime casualties.

Opposition sources have said at least 40,000 people were in the town, but many may have fled amid weeks of regime attacks.

Casualties

The Local Coordination Committees claim that 125 people were killed on Sunday, including 56 in Homs Province --- most of them in the battle for al-Qusayr --- 26 in Damascus and its suburbs, and 14 in Aleppo Province.

The Violations Documentation Center reports that 60,934 people have been killed in the Syrian conflict since March 2011, an increase of 167 from Sunday.

Of the deaths, 47,574 were civilians, a rise of 111 from yesterday.

Optimistic Headline of the Day

State news agency SANA proclaims, "[Prime Minister] Al-Halqi: Government Determined to Restore Splendor to Tourism Sector".

The article did not say which sections of Syria will soon be seeing a surge in splendid tourism.