Syria rebel forces shell Hezbollah 50-truck convoy. Photo: Screenshot.

JNS.org – Al-Qaeda-linked rebels are attempting to capture the ancient Syrian Christian village of Sadad.

The assault on Sadad began on Monday when rebels from the U.S. designated terrorist group Jadbat al-Nusra targeted the village’s hospital, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported. Local police and the Syrian military fought back against the assault.

Located 95 kilometers (60 miles) north of Damascus, Sadad is an isolated ancient Christian village that is mentioned in the Christian bible. Its villagers still speak Aramaic, the ancient Semitic language spoken by Jesus.

According to the Associated Press, Jabhat al-Nusra has targeted the village due to its strategic location on the highway north of Damascus, not because it’s Christian. But Jabhat al-Nusra has a history of brutally attacking Christians in areas it occupies.

“The Islamist rebel attack against the mainly Christian, Biblical village of Sadad and its hospital is just the latest barbaric act in the destruction of Syria. Christians and other religious minorities in Syria are in danger of being eliminated,” Dr. John Eibner, CEO of Christian Solidarity International (CSI), told JNS.org.

Eibner added, “CSI urges the United States to terminate its direct and indirect military support for Muslim supremacist armies and to insist that the US-financed opposition participates in the Geneva II negotiations with the Syrian government. An end to the killing will benefit all the Syrian people, and enhance stability throughout the region.”

Last month, al-Qaeda-linked rebel forces attacked the ancient Christian village of Maaloula causing the village’s 3,000 residents to flee. Reports indicated that rebels attacked Christian homes and churches, threatening them with beheadings and desecrating churches. Eventually, local resistance committees backed by Syrian government forces eventually forced the rebels to withdraw.