Hezbollah commander Nassif dies in Syria

Martyr body after being shot Syrian army Damascus – Agencies A Hezbollah commander and several fighters have been killed inside Syria, a Lebanese security official said on Tuesday, a development that could stoke already soaring tensions over an alleged role for the Lebanese group in the civil war next door. Hezbollah has stood by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad since the uprising began 18 months ago, even after the group supported revolts in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and Bahrain. The group says it is backing the Syrian regime because of its support for the anti-Israel resistance movements in Lebanon and Palestine and because it is willing to implement political reforms.
It was not immediately clear how the alleged Hezbollah militants were killed or whether they had been fighting alongside the Syrian army. But Hezbollah's newspaper al-Intiqad said Hezbollah commander Ali Hussein Nassif, who is also known as Abu Abbas, was killed "while performing his Jihadist duties." It did not say when or where he was killed.
A Lebanese security official said Nassif was killed in Syria and his body was returned to Lebanon through the Masnaa border crossing on Sunday. The official added that the bodies of several other Hezbollah fighters have been brought back to Lebanon in recent days.
Nassif's funeral, which was held in the eastern town of Budai, near Baalbek, was attended by top Hezbollah officials including the head of the Sharia council and the political bureau, an indication of Nassif's high prestige.
Nationwide, 128 were killed across Syria on Tuesday, as rebel fighters stormed an army post in Douma killing six soldiers, while intense shelling by regime forces sent residents of the Damascus suburb fleeing in panic, a watchdog said on Tuesday.
Other rebel-held bastions in and around Damascus were also bombarded at dawn as the government said it was close to crushing the last pockets of resistance in the capital.
The violence came hours after UN chief Ban Ki-moon urged Damascus to show compassion to its people and Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said a political solution was still possible if the West and Gulf States halted support for the rebels.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least two civilians died when Douma, in the capital's northeast, was rocked by shelling following the deadly raid by the rebels during the night on a medical center there that has now been taken over by the military.
An amateur video posted by activists reported an exodus of residents of Douma and showed several vehicles with women inside driving off in the dark of night.
Troops loyal to President Bashar Assad also blasted a string of rebel strongholds in towns and suburbs outside the capital at dawn, including in Babila, Hosh al-Arab, Saqba and Zabadani.
The Local Coordination Committees, an activist network, reported that more than 100 shells fell on Zabadani, once a resort destination known for its mild weather and scenic views just northwest of the capital but now devastated by the civil war ravaging Syria.