Battle For Border Town Can Spell The Syrian War’s Future

Battle For Border Town Can Spell The Syrian War’s Future

Analysts say that a battle for a town near the border with Lebanon can spell the future of the two year old rebellion in Syria. The town is a key element in the supply of men and weapons to the opposition forces that are fighting the Assad regime.

The border town of Qusayr has been in the control of rebel forces for well over a year, but that all can change and with it the fate of the Syrian rebellion.

The town that is located just miles from the Lebanon border is under fire from Hezbollah fighters backed by Iran. The Hezbollah group, which is considered a terrorist organization by the United States government, has given Assad loyal troops an edge in their efforts of clearing key parts of Syria from opposition forces.

If the rebels were to lose the town, the Assad regime forces would have an uninterrupted line of control between Damascus and the Alawite faction of Islam to which Assad belongs, in northwestern Syria.

The Assad regime forces seem to have gained ground in recent weeks not only because of the help given by the Iranian backed Hezbollah which is threatening the Qusayr border town but also because of a change in strategy; employing army elite fighters and the recently formed People’s Army which is made of nearly 50,000 Assad loyal Syrians and relying less on Sunni brigades.

Posted by James Fried on Friday May 24 2013, 3:07 AM EST. Ref: USA Today. Link. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0