Syria’s opposition urged fighters across the country Wednesday to “rush to the rescue” of rebel stronghold Qusayr, while appealing to the international community to set up a humanitarian corridor to the embattled town.
Syria’s acting National Coalition opposition chief George Sabra issued the call for rebel reinforcements to the town as Syrian troops backed by fighters from Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement battled for control of Qusayr.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights watchdog estimates around 25,000 civilians are trapped inside Qusayr, with thousands more still in villages around the town in central Homs province bordering Lebanon.
Sabra also urged the UN Security Council “to convene an emergency meeting and go beyond expressing concern to action.”
The Syrian army backed by Hezbollah fighters launched a long-expected assault against Qusayr on Sunday, reportedly entering the town and seizing several municipal buildings.
The fighting has since left more than 100 people dead, the Observatory said on Tuesday, most of them rebel fighters and Hezbollah members.
The regime has made recapturing Qusayr a key objective due to the town’s strategic location between the capital Damascus and the Mediterranean coast, and near the border with Lebanon.
The battle has been drawing in Lebanon, with Syrian regime ally Hezbollah siding with the army and Sunni Lebanese battling alongside rebel forces.
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