Syrian forces backed by Hezbollah fighters from neighboring Lebanon have regained full control of Qusair, a strategic city on the Lebanese border where government troops launched an offensive nearly three weeks ago.
Syrian state television said Wednesday the army had defeated "terrorists" -- a term the government uses to describe opposition fighters trying to oust President Bashar al-Assad.
The rebels said they withdrew from Qusair, which they had held for more than a year.
The city is located along a key highway linking the capital, Damascus, to the Mediterranean coast, and is close to rebel smuggling routes along Lebanon's border.
The fighting in Qusair drew in Hezbollah militants, raising international concerns about the spread of the Syrian conflict. Last week, the United Nations Human Rights Council approved a resolution condemning Mr. Assad's government for using "foreign fighters" in Qusair.
Meanwhile, officials from the United Nations, Russia and the United States are holding talks Wednesday in Geneva, as they try to pull together a peace conference to end the crisis.