Pro-Assad forces attack villages near fallen Syrian border town

Soldiers loyal to the Syrian regime and civilians gather as they place the Syrian national flag on a truck in Qusair, after the Syrian army took control of the city from rebel fighters, June 5, 2013. REUTERS/Mohamed

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian troops and Lebanese Hezbollah fighters pushed toward villages near Qusair on Thursday, a day after driving rebels from the border town shattered in weeks of combat.

Insurgents seeking to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad were putting up a fierce fight around the villages of Debaa and Buwayda as their opponents attacked rebel-held territory, activists and a photographer in the area said.