The opposition Free Syrian Army (FSA) reported on Wednesday that chemical weapons had been used in a Damascus town by Hizbullah terrorists and forces loyal to President Bashar Al-Assad.
According to Al Arabiya, the town of Zamalka, outside of Damascus, was targeted by chemical weapons, which caused victims to choke and led to a number of casualties, opposition activists said.
Assad’s government has faced accusations from the United States, Britain and France of using banned weapons, including the nerve gas sarin, in attacks that have reportedly killed many.
The U.S. government confirmed last week that the Syrian army used chemical weapons against rebel forces on multiple occasions, adding that America will increase the “scope and scale” of its assistance to rebels in Syria in response.
France had previously revealed that it had firm evidence sarin had been used by the Syrian regime in at least one case.
The Lebanon-based Shiite Hizbullah has been playing a key role in supporting the Syrian government, which is mainly controlled by the minority Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam.
Initially Hizbullah said it wanted only to defend 13 Syrian villages along the border where Lebanese Shiites live, and the Sayyeda Zeinab shrine near Damascus, which is revered by Shiites around the world.
However, its terrorists later encircled Qusayr with regime troops before the launch of a withering assault on the strategic border town.
Last week Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah promised that his group will be wherever is needed in Syria.
Meanwhile on the ground Wednesday, more cities and towns were bombarded by Syrian regime forces, according to activists who spoke to Al Arabiya.
Tanks reportedly deployed at the entrance of the southwestern city of Zabadani shelled its agricultural lands, causing extensive damage.
In the province of Idlib, battles between opposition fighters and regime forces killed a number of Syrian army forces.
Meanwhile, the FSA said that it managed to take control of a military airport in the area of Deir Al-Zour.
