A source close to Hezbollah said Saturday that the group sent 2,000 fighters to a part of Syria near the border with Lebanon, as ally Damascus reels from an opposition offensive that has seized major cities in recent days.

“Hezbollah sent 2,000 fighters to the Qusayr area... to defend its positions there and has not yet participated in any battles” with Syrian opposition forces, the source told AFP, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

The Military Operations Administration in Syria has already seized two of Syria’s main cities, Aleppo in the north and Hama in the center.

On Saturday, opposition forces were at the gates of the key central city of Homs.

The source said Hezbollah sent 150 military advisers to help government forces defend Homs if fighting erupts there.