A truce in Zabadani between the Syrian army, backed by Hezbollah, and rebels ended following the renewal of clashes and shelling targeting the border town, activists said. Fighting also resumed in the Syrian Shiite villages of Foua and Kefreya located in Idlib province, which were also covered by the agreed halt in fighting, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The cease-fire had been extended from two to three days Thursday after the warring sides agreed to evacuate the wounded, a security source had told The Daily Star. Zabadani has been under fierce attack by the Syrian army and Hezbollah since last month, while Kefraya and Foua have been besieged by Syrian rebels. The Syrian army and Hezbollah on one side and rebels on the other were negotiating for the withdrawal of opposition fighters from Zabadani to Idlib, which is mainly under opposition control. In return, civilians wishing to leave Kefraya and Foua would be allowed to do so and food supplies would enter both villages. The collapse of the cease-fire comes around two weeks after another the end of separate four-day truce forged between the warring sides. Hezbollah and the Syrian army's offensive in Zabadani is largely considered an attempt by the two allies to bolster their control of land routes between Lebanon and Syria and cut rebel supply lines. Zabadani also bears strategic significance for Hezbollah since it once served as a logistical hub for supplying the party with Iranian weapons. It also served as a base for Hezbollah fighters and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. The town is located 50 kilometers northwest of Damascus and 12 kilometers northeast of Lebanon's Masnaa border crossing.
