Syrian rebels kill at least 60 Shias in Hatla village

PanARMENIAN.Net - Syrian rebels have attacked a village in the country's east, killing dozens of Shias, mostly pro-government fighters, activists said, Belfast Telegraph reported.

At least 60 died in Hatla village in the province of Deir el-Zour on Tuesday, June 11 according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The rebel attack was reportedly in retaliation for an earlier attack by Shias from Hatla that killed four rebels.

The Observatory said many villagers from Hatla were forced to flee to nearby Jafra.

The clashes came a week after Syrian troops backed by Lebanon's Shia Hezbollah group captured the strategic town of Qusair near the Lebanese border.

At least 14 people were killed on Tuesday when two suicide bombers hit a square in central Damascus.

One of the explosions took place inside a police station and many officers were among the dead. Syrian state TV quoted a security official as saying 14 people died in blasts caused by two "terrorist" suicide bombers near a police station in the bustling Marjeh Square in the heart of the capital. The official said another 31 were wounded.