A/HRC/24/46 9. Inside the town of Al-Qusayr, various anti-Government armed groups collaborated during operations under the supervision of Al-Qusayr Military Council. The main groups included Al-Farouq Battalions, Al-Waleed Battalions, Fajr Al-Islam Brigade, Bashair AlNasr Battalions, Al-Haq Brigade and a group of Jabhat Al-Nusra fighters. Immediately prior to the Government offensive, there were approximately 2,000 – 2,500 antiGovernment armed group fighters inside Al-Qusayr. 10. In March 2013, the siege around Al-Qusayr town and the surrounding countryside tightened. Villages west of the Al-Assi River, predominantly populated by Sunni Muslims, were particularly affected. These included Al-Burhaniya, Al- Radwaniyeh, Saqraja, Ayn Al-Tannur, Arjoun and Al-Hamidiyah. 11. In the weeks prior to the May 2013 offensive, there were severe shortages of food, water and medicine inside the town of Al-Qusayr. By early May, Hezbollah had taken control of the Ain Tanour and Hamah water stations, four kilometres west and two kilometres north of Al-Qusayr town respectively. Water to the town, already limited, was cut entirely. Sanitation levels declined rapidly, resulting in a corresponding increase in infectious diseases. As medical supplies ran low, the ability of hospitals and clinics to treat civilians injured by shelling and by crossfire was severely compromised. Pro -Government forces refused to allow Red Crescent ambulances to enter Al-Qusayr to evacuate the wounded. Preparatory operations and bombardment 12. In reaction to the coordinated attack by anti-Government armed groups on southern districts of Homs city in March 2013, a Government offensive on Al-Qusayr was initiated in early April. This offensive formed a key part of the Government’s strategy to secure Homs governorate. 13. Government forces, supported by foreign combatants including thousands of Hezbollah fighters, captured the majority of villages in the countryside in order to cut the armed groups’ supply lines and prevent their withdrawal. From 11 April to 13 May, Hezbollah fighters controlled the Sunni villages located in the southwest of Al-Qusayr (west of Al-Assi River), while the Government regained territory in Homs city and challenged the armed groups’ positions from the northeast. These tactics ultimately blockaded the armed groups in a triangle formed by the towns of Al-Qusayr, Buwaydah AlSharqiyah and Arjoun. The tight siege imposed on the town of Al-Qusayr prevented the transfer of reinforcements and weapons to the armed groups. 14. Shelling and airstrikes on Al-Qusayr town and surrounding villages also escalated in the weeks prior to the ground attacks. The villages to the southwest of Al-Qusayr were shelled with mortars and came under aerial bombardment from jet fighters and helicopters. Al-Qusayr also came under sustained attack, from shelling, surface-to-surface missiles and aerial bombardment. In the ten days prior to the ground attacks, shelling and bombardments on the area were near continuous. Attack on Al-Qusayr city 15. On 19 May, Hezbollah fighters along with Government troops and National Defence Forces launched a final attack on Al-Qusayr from several directions, reportedly forcing a negotiated withdrawal of anti-Government fighters. Witnesses stated that the armed groups withdrew in exchange for the lifting of the siege and the evacuation of civilians and injured persons. 35