Syrian army hails 'cleansed' town

The Syrian army has triumphantly announced the capture of a strategic town near the Lebanese border, telling the nation it has “cleansed” the rebel-held Qusair of “terrorists” who are fighting President Bashar Assad’s troops.

The capture of the town, which lies close to the Lebanese border, solidifies some of the regime’s recent gains on the ground that have shifted the balance of power in Assad’s favor in the Syrian civil war.