Damascus: The army vowed on Wednesday to trounce rebel fighters across Syria hours after recapturing Qusayr following a more than two-week assault on the strategic town on the border with Lebanon.
“After successive advances in the war against organised terrorists, our armed forces say they will not hesitate to crush the armed men wherever they are and in every corner of Syria,” it said in a statement.
“Our armed forces have been securing and cleaning the town since dawn after a series of delicate operations,” said the statement carried by state news agency SANA.
The rebels conceded on Wednesday that they have lost the battle for Qusayr after the Syrian army claimed it had seized total control of it and the surrounding region after launching an offensive on May 19.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based watchdog, also said the army and fighters from Hezbollah, Lebanon’s powerful Shiite movement, were in control of the town.
In its statement, the army said the “heroic victory” sent a “clear message to all involved in the attack on Syria, headed by the Zionist enemy (Israel) and its agents in the region and on the ground.
“The armed forces are ready to face any aggression against our country.
“Our battle against terrorism will continue to bring security and stability to every inch of our land,” said the army statement.
Located in the central province of Homs, the Qusayr region is strategic because it links Damascus to the coast and is a conduit for fighters and weapons for the army and the rebels.
