Syrian forces loyal to the Bashar al-Assad regime launched a sweeping operation yesterday in the strategically critical city of Qusayr, killing scores of opposition forces. Qusayr, near Syria’s border with Lebanon, had served as a conduit for weapons and supplies shipments smuggled from Lebanon to opposition fighters.

Government forces had cordoned off Qusayr on Sunday and were waging street battles against rebels on multiple fronts, Syrian state television reported. Syrian army officers in Qusayr told state TV that soldiers had taken over several government buildings in the town’s southern half, including the local municipal building, where the rebel flag was brought down and the Syrian flag hoisted in its place. That couldn’t be independently verified.

“We have crushed more than 70 terrorists,” said one army officer. “God willing, Qusayr will be liberated in the coming hours or days.”

Two dozen Hezbollah fighters battling on behalf of the regime were also reportedly killed. The reports come in the aftermath of news that Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei instructed Hezbollah head Hassan Nasrallah to block supply routes to the largely Sunni opposition forces. The Syrian army recently launched a counteroffensive that has seen the regime roll back rebel gains made over the last few months.

Hezbollah’s role in the counteroffensive sits uneasily alongside some foreign policy analysis to the effect that the group had become a Lebanese organization pursuing Lebanese interests.

[Photo: AlJazeeraEnglish / Youtube]