Activists say Syrian troops battling rebel forces around Homs near Lebanon border
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Activists say Syrian government forces are battling rebels near the central city of Homs.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says heavy clashes between soldiers and opposition fighters are underway west of Homs. The fighting is near a string of villages close to Syria's border with Lebanon, said the Observatory's director, Rami Abdul-Rahman.
The area is populated mostly by Shiite Muslims, who have supported President Bashar Assad's regime during Syria's two-year conflict.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Sunni Muslims dominate the opposition ranks, with many fighting on the side of the rebels.
The conflict started as peaceful protests against Assad's regime in March 2011 but turned into a civil war that has increasingly taken sectarian overtones.
More than 70,000 people have been killed, according to the United Nations.