Report: 250 Hezbollah fighters killed near Damascus
Syrian opposition sources claim Hezbollah suffered grave losses in recent battles. At least 40 killed when Scud hits busy market near capital
Bloodshed in Syria continues unabated ahead of reconciliation talks. On Thursday, Al-Arabiya reported that a Scud missile fired Wednesday hit a busy market in the city of Ar-Raqqah, killing 40 people and injuring 220. According to opposition sources, many are still trapped under the rubble.
Another report said no less than 250 Hezbollah fighters were killed in recent battles in the outskirts of Damascus. Quoting Syrian opposition sources, Lebanon's Al-Mustaqbal newspaper said dozens of Hezbollah fighters were taken captive by the Free Syrian Army.
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The report claimed the captives would serve as a bargaining chip ahead of the Geneva conference that is set to commence on January 22.
While the report could not be confirmed, reports of Hezbollah losses continue to surface. Earlier this week, the FSA said it killed 70 Assad loyalists near Damascus including 12 Hezbollah members. The rebels claimed to be holding the bodies of two Hezbollah fighters for which they demanded prisoners captured by the group in return.
The Shiite terror group has been fighting on several fronts including on the Syrian-Lebanese border. It has been reported that thousands of Hezbollah fighters are engaged in battles in that area.
On Wednesday Nasrallah's deputy Naim Kassem said Hezbollah is fighting to protect Lebanon from the Syrian civil war. "We protected Lebanon and the resistance from a very dangerous situation by fulfilling our honorable jihad duty at the right time, so we would get to them before they get to us."
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