Syrian rebels strengthened their hold on an oil-rich province bordering Iraq today, activists said, capturing a key military base which was considered one of the last bastions for President Bashar Assad’s loyalists in the strategic region.

Syrian rebels have seized a key military base with artillery stockpiles in the country’s east, activists say.

SYRIAN security forces shot dead seven people during clashes in two cities between President Bashar al-Assad’s loyalists and protesters demanding his removal, an activist said.