DHAKA: Syrian troops have retaken a key rebel-held town south of Damascus, state media and activists say.

State TV said the army had full control of Sbeineh and that ‘terrorists’ had been driven out, reports the BBC.

UK-based activist group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Sbeineh was one of the most important rebel positions near Damascus.

Meanwhile, inspectors say they have verified one of Syria’s two remaining chemical weapons production sites.

Inspectors had already verified 21 out of 23 sites declared by Syria but two sites were too dangerous to reach.

They said the latest site, near Aleppo, was verified using footage from sealed cameras and that it was dismantled and abandoned.

News of the army’s takeover of Sbeineh was broadcast by state TV on Thursday.

‘Our brave army has taken control of... the Sbeineh (area)... and (the nearby village) of Ghazalah in Damascus province after crushing the last terrorist positions there,’ it said.

BDST: 2049 HRS, NOV 07, 2013
RoR/RIS