Rebels attack Assad and Hezbollah troops in strategic Rankous

Rebels launched an offensive on Bashar al-Assad’s troops and Hezbollah fighters in Rankous town in Qalamoun near the border with Lebanon Thursday, activists said

Last April,  Assad's troops backed by Hezbollah fighters captured Rankous after weeks of intense fighting, solidifying the regime’s hold on the strategic region, according to The Daily Star.

The rebels, who still control a few smaller villages in Qalamoun, seek to recapture the town which considered as a major supply route for weapons and fighters into the country from eastern Lebanon.

Assad’s forces backed by Hezbollah have been on the offensive in the Qalamoun region since November 2013, when they captured most of the border area with Lebanon. The battle forced tens of thousands of Syrians to flee to safety in Lebanon.