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DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syrian elite forces backed by Hezbollah fighters are laying siege to a rebel-held mountain resort near the border with Lebanon.
Activists and official media outlets say Syria's air forces have been conducting intense airstrikes on Zabadani. Its capture would tighten Hezbollah's grip on Syrian territories bordering Lebanon and strengthen the Syrian government's control over the Beirut-Damascus highway.
Zabadani has been held by rebels since shortly after Syria's crisis began in March 2011.
In what appeared to be retaliation for the Zabadani offensive, rebels have been shelling Damascus, striking several neighborhoods including the central Baghdad Street district.
Meanwhile, in the northern city of Aleppo, activists say government forces backed by Hezbollah fighters tried but failed to retake the Scientific Research Center, which had been used as an army base before its capture by insurgents last night.
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