Syrian rebels take control of important village

Syrian rebels battled government troops in the coastal province of Latakia for the second straight day on Monday, making advances in one of President Bashar Assad’s strongholds, activists said.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said rebels took control of four villages in mountainous terrain near the Mediterranean Sea.

Much of Latakia has been under the firm control of Assad’s forces since the beginning of the conflict more than two years ago, but some areas including the Jabal al-Akrad are close to rebel-held areas and have seen fighting.

It was a rare success for the rebels on the battlefield in recent weeks. Assad’s forces have been on the offensive since taking the central town of Qusair in June.