Syrian troops, Hezbollah fighters advance in Zabadani
Syrian government forces backed by members of Lebanon's Shi'ite Hezbollah group advanced Wednesday from different directions in the mountain resort of Zabadani near the border with Lebanon, state media reported.
The fighting came as the ultraconservative Ahrar a-Sham insurgent group said that it has stopped communicating with Iranian mediators after they insisted that fighters and residents leave the resort. Ahrar al-Sham said the government aims to clear out the area's Sunni Muslim population. Syrian opposition groups have accused the government and Hezbollah of displacing thousands of Sunnis from areas along the border with Lebanon and preventing them from returning to their homes.
