2 Lebanese killed during fighting in Syria

Two Lebanese nationals were killed in the Syrian border town of Rableh as the Syrian army continued its siege on the Qusayr area of Homs, sources told The Daily Star. Abdo Yaakoub al Ahmar, 47, and Tayfallah Atieh, 55, were killed as fighting took place between Syrian regime forces and rebels, the sources said. They added that the attack was part of the military operation in Qusayr area of Homs province which has been under siege for several weeks in an attempt by the Assad regime to crush dissent. According to the sources, the two Lebanese men are residents of Rableh, a Syrian town about five kilometers away from the Lebanese border. Following the attack, Ahmar and Atieh, who were both severely wounded, were transferred to Lebanon’s al-Batoul Hospital in Hermel for treatment, via the Lebanese border town of Hawsh al-Sayyed. However, both men died shortly after arriving at the hospital and their bodies were taken back to Rableh for burial. Hezbollah Chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said Thursday in a televised speech that around 30,000 Lebanese residents live in Syrian border towns and farms in the frontier region. From: The Daily Star