Radical rebels storm Shiite village in eastern Syria

Radical rebels stormed a Shiite village in Syria's eastern province of Deir al-Zour, killing several inhabitants and burning their homes, activists said Wednesday. The rebels stormed the town of Hatla after clashes and bombardment that resulted in the killing of tens of civilians and local fighters as well as ten rebel fighters, according to the pro- opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Atrocities committed in the Shiite town were carried out on sectarian bases, the Observatory said, adding that the rebels stormed the town on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the Britain-based watchdog posted a video footage on its Facebook page purporting to show the rebels boasting their killing of Shiite people in the village. The insurgency in Syria largely consists of Sunni fighters who opposes President Bashar al-Assad's administration that belongs to the Alawite minority, an offshoot of Shiite Islam. In another video footage posted onto YouTube, a Sunni Sheikh appeared saying that the killing of Shiite people in Hatla came against the backdrop of the government troops' operation in the central city of al-Qussair which led finally to the full recapture of the city by the government troops. The rebels' hatred toward the Shiite people hit a new high after reports recently emerged about the involvement of Lebanon's Shiite group of Hezbollah in the fight alongside the government army, especially in al-Qussair.