Syrian Forces 'Enter Town Near Lebanon'

Syrian forces loyal to President Assad have entered the besieged town of Zabadani on the Lebanese border, according to reports.

The regime troops moved on the town, east of Beirut, after agreeing a ceasefire with rebels, according to opposition leader in exile Kamal al-Labwani.

The agreement was reached after a week-long tank and artillery bombardment.

The onslaught in Zabadani, a town of 20,000 people, left at least 100 people dead.

The ceasefire stipulates that rebels return weapons and armour seized from loyalist forces, who agreed they would not pursue the rebels, Mr Labwani told Reuters.

The military movement comes hours after gunmen assassinated an army general in Damascus.

The killing of Brig Gen Issa al Khouli in the Syrian capital came as shells once again rained down on the city of Homs, the epicentre of the uprising against President Bashar Assad's regime.

On Friday, twin suicide car bombers carried out an attack on Syria's second city of Aleppo. The attack is believed to have killed 28 people and wounded 235.

No one has claimed responsibility for the blast.

Syrian state TV blamed "armed terrorists", while the rebel Free Syria Army initially said it had carried out the attack, then quickly issued a denial.

The New York Times quoted unnamed analysts who said they checking whether al Qaeda's affiliate in Iraq was responsible for the attack, which they said bore the hallmarks of the Sunni extremist group.