95 killed in Syria's al-Qussair battles

DAMASCUS - A total of 95 people, including 23 Hezbollah members, have been killed in an intense fighting in Syria's central city of al-Qussair over the past 48 hours, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Monday.

The death toll includes four civilians, 56 rebel fighters, 12 government troops and 23 fighters from the Lebanese Hezbollah militant group.

The army pushed its way into al-Qussair city early Sunday after taking control over its countryside in a 46-day campaign.

Activists claim that the Lebanese Hezbollah group is fighting alongside the government troops in al-Qussair as the group is believed to be an important ally of the Syrian administration.

The rebels in al-Qussair have been buoyed by Salafi groups in Lebanon's northern city of Tripoli and Ersal.

Over the past two days, clashes between supporters of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Sunni Muslim fighters raged in Lebanon's Tripoli on the heels of the Syrian troops operation in al-Qussair. On Monday, three people were killed and more than 40 others were reportedly wounded in the ongoing clashes in Tripoli.