Syrian forces kill 23 rebels in town raid

Government forces stormed a rebel-held town outside Damascus yesterday after days of fighting, killing at least 23 fighters, according to an activist group and a rebel spokesman.

In Aleppo, a Japanese TV reporter was killed on Monday while covering the fighting in Syria’s largest city. She was the first foreign journalist to die in the city since clashes between rebels and regime forces erupted there almost a month ago.

In neighbouring Lebanon, where the civil war in Syria has been spilling across the border, security officials said clashes between supporters and opponents of President Bashar al-Assad have left two dead and as many as 45 wounded. The army said the injured include nine Lebanese soldiers.