Jabhat al-Nusra encircle historic town of Mhardeh – one of Syria's remaining Christian strongholds.
Al-Qaeda's branch in Syria is attacking one of the country's remaining Christian strongholds, as it presses its offensive against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.
Jabhat al-Nusra fighters, who have pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda's leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, are encircling the historic Christian town of Mhardeh and bombarding it with artillery, residents have told The Telegraph.
"There is shelling night and day. We have no electricity. There is only one road out and it is dangerous to use it now," said Josef, a civil engineer in Mhardeh, who spoke using a pseudonym for fear of reprisals if the jihadists enter the town.
For centuries Mhardeh was a safe haven for Syria's Greek Orthodox Christians, recently housing a population of approximately 23,000.