07/11/2013 18:43
Syria army retakes key rebel enclave near Damascus
Syrian troops have retaken a key rebel-held town south of Damascus, the BBC reported, citing state media and activists.
State TV said the army had full control of Sbeineh and that "terrorists" had been driven out.
UK-based activist group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Sbeineh was one of the most important rebel positions near Damascus.
Meanwhile, inspectors say they have verified one of Syria's two remaining chemical weapons production sites.
Inspectors had already verified 21 out of 23 sites declared by Syria but two sites were too dangerous to reach.
They said the latest site - near Aleppo - was verified using footage from sealed cameras and that it was dismantled and abandoned.
News of the army's takeover of Sbeineh was broadcast by state TV on Thursday.
"Our brave army has taken control of... the Sbeineh [area]... and [the nearby village] of Ghazalah in Damascus province after crushing the last terrorist positions there," it said. The government refers to rebels as "terrorists."
Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the army had been backed by Lebanese Hezbollah fighters and other pro-government militia.
"Rebels in southern Damascus have now had practically all their supply routes cut off," he said.