Syrian army recaptures two towns near Lebanese border

Syrian troops Saturday wrested back control over two strategic towns near its border with Lebanon, media reported.

Government troops have recaptured the towns of Ras al-Ma'ara and Flaita in the rugged al-Qalamoun region bordering northern Lebanon, about 80 km north of Damascus, eliminating armed militant groups and destroying their weaponries, Xinhua reported.

The victory is the latest in a string of successful operations the army has recently undertaken to dislodge rebels from the northern edge of Damascus near the Lebanese borders.

On March 16, Syrian troops regained full control of the city of Yabroud, one of the main bastions the militant groups held in al-Qalamoun region.

The successive victories of the Syrian army in the region would help the government secure the international road connecting Damascus and the central province of Homs, as well as some provinces on the Mediterranean coast, and would also deprive the rebels of a key route for smuggling weapons and fighters through Lebanon.

The rebels, in retaliation for their defeat in the south, have opened a front in Syria's northern border town of Kasab near Turkey.

The battles in Kasab have been raging since last Friday and Syrian officials accused Turkey of being the mastermind behind the rebel attack on Kasab, saying the rebels waged their attack from the Turkish side of the border, and a recently leaked audio clip apparently exposed Ankara's purported intention to open a front in northern Syria.