17 killed in Syria as 'North Korean forces' enter conflict

Free Syrian Army (FSA) rebels in Damascus Beirut - Georges Chahine,  Damascus - George Al Shami Syrian regime forces killed 17 rebel fighters on Monday morning, a day after a car bomb killed nine members of the Syrian security forces in the capital, Damascus. The Syrian Network for Human Rights reported the death of 17 opposition fighters during fierce clashes between government forces and rebels in the eastern district of Jobar.
On Sunday, British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said nine officers were killed when a bomb had targeted a police station in the same district.
Jobar, on the outskirts of Damascus, has witnessed intense fighting between the two sides, and been the target of air raids and mortar attacks in the last few months. Government forces are battling to reclaim control of areas surrounding the capital, but have come across stiff resistance from the rebel forces.
In the latest twist, SOHR's director Rami Abdel Rahman has claimed that North Korean soldiers are fighting alongside government forces in the northwestern city of Aleppo, adding that around "11 to 15 North Koreans are fighting with Assad's forces and most of them speak Arabic." Abdul Rahman said the North Koreans are not involved in the fighting, but providing logistical support, as well as "developing plans for military operations."
Meanwhile, violent clashes have erupted between armed group Hezbollah, and rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) fighters in the Lebanese border town of Baalbek. A senior security source told Al Gomhuria newspaper that 10 Hezbollah fighters were killed when they opened fire on three opposition vehicles. The source claimed members of the al-Nusra Front fled the scene.
News agency Reuters quoted Lebanese security sources as saying that 15 people had been killed in the eastern side of Baalbek.
Further clashes were reported in the northeastern suburb of Harasta, where Syrian soldiers advanced with caution amid reports of booby-traps being set up on roads and in buildings. Earlier, the army deployed security to the central International Road which has not seen any significant incidents for several days.
In Syria's embattled town of Qusayr, Homs governorate, government troops claimed to have killed around 150 al-Nusra Front fighters, including six senior leaders. The militant leaders were identified as commander of Baba Amr independents, Manhal al-Faori, commander of Baba Amr lions, Nawaf al-Alaweyin, commander of al-Bayarek, Anas al-Sheikh Khaled, militant leader al-Far Ahmed Bouzan, and deputy field commander of Fajr al-Islam brigade, Mahmoud Gomaa. Sources in Qusayr told al-Watan newspaper that hundreds of foreign fighters were killed in clashes with the army in the last 48 hours. Sources added that the army had restored security to the village of al-Dabaa, as fighting intensified in Qusayr.
Earlier, senior FSA commander Colonel Abdul Jabbar al-Akidi visited Qusayr to inspect the conditions of the fighters on the front lines. Al-Akidi, who is the commander of the revolutionary military council in Aleppo, joined his counterpart from Deir Ezzor and pledged to support opposition fighters in the besieged town. The visit came on the day Hezbollah fighters battled opposition fighters in the eastern border region of Lebanon, a development which shows the transition of the Syrian conflict to the Lebanese territories. Al-Akidi pledged to fight in Qusayr until the end, telling militants in the town, that the number of fighters had increased.
As concern grow over Hezbollah's involvement in Syria, the armed resistance group had buried fatalities from battles in Qusayr.
On Sunday, the body of Hezbollah fighter Khadr al-Hajj was laid to rest in Tyre. Party members carried the militant's coffin from his house in the southern governorate, and carried it around the streets before the burial.
In Brital, Beqaa, a memorial ceremony was held for seven Hezbollah militants killed in Syria. The event was attended by the group's Deputy Secretary-General Naim Qassem, who said that Hezbollah is not defending the Syrian regime, but the resistance against it. The Muslims cleric claimed that some of the Arab nations were "Israel's stooges" and working to support the Israeli agenda.
"The Israeli project is not limited to the liberation of the land. It is also to harm the resistance. It is our duty to do all the work to protect the resistance.
"We are not defending the regime of Syria, which can defend itself. We are defending the resistance and Syria's support for resistance.
Qassem explained that Hezbollah feels it feels a "duty" to intervene in Syria because of "imminent danger on the strategic level."
"Whether in Qusayr or not, we are working in order to prevent the extension of sedition and death of the resistance," he added.
Qassem said the opposition movement against President Bashar al-Assad is not led by Sunnis, but by "terrorists," adding and "we promote harmony between Sunnis and the Shiites, but we do not accept projects that serve Israel under the sectarian."
The Hezbollah official said his movement is not interested in power of supremacy, but wants to keep the resistance alive.
On Sunday, Washington Post quoted an anonymous US official as saying that Hezbollah fighters had started gathering in the surroundings areas of Aleppo, adding that there were fears of an imminent attack on the city.
The American source said that around 2000 fighters had gathered in the majority Shiite areas, north of the city.
Syrian opposition forced backed up and claim, stating that Hezbollah fighters had entered the city on Sunday.
Luay al-Meqdad, media and political co-ordinator of the FSA, said that around 4000 Hezbollah fighters were heading for Aleppo.