Soldiers loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad are seen in their tanks at al-Sakhra village in Qalamoun mountains, northeast of Damascus, after taking control of the village from rebel fighters, April 14, 2014. REUTERS/Khaled al-Hariri
MAALOULA, Syria (Reuters) - Syrian soldiers backed by Hezbollah fighters recaptured the town of Maaloula, north of Damascus, on Monday, military sources and state television said, further squeezing rebels' supply routes through the Qalamoun mountains into Lebanon.
Islamist fighters, some from the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front, had taken over part of the ancient Christian town in December and held several nuns captive until releasing them in March in a prisoner-exchange deal.
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