Fierce battle continues in Christian town of Maaloula

Heavy fighting between pro-Assad forces and rebels is continuing in the Christian town of Maaloula, near Damascus.

A resident in the town told news agency the Associated Press that the government's forces were trying to capture a rebel-held hotel on a hill overlooking Maaloula and that most of the fighting was happening in the west.

Syrian state television claimed that government forces had captured the main square and a convent in the town.

Most of the 3,300 residents in Maaloula, which is 40 miles north east of Damascus, have fled the town for safer parts of the country.

The town was a popular tourist attraction before the conflict with some of its residents still speaking the version of Aramaic that Jesus is believed to have used.