Activists: Syrian rebels attack army checkpoints in strategic southern province

BEIRUT – Activists say Syrian rebels are attacking army checkpoints in and around a key southern town that is a gateway to Damascus.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says rebel attacks are under way in Dael and surrounding areas. The Local Coordination Committees, another activists group, says regime bombardment of Dael killed at least three people on Thursday.

Dael lies in the strategic Daraa province, which borders Jordan.

The fighting comes as Mideast powers opposed to President Bashar Assad have stepped up weapons supplies to Syrian rebels in coordination with the U.S. in preparation for a push on the Syrian capital.

That's according to officials and military experts who spoke to The Associated Press in Jordan.

The U.N. says Syria's two-year civil war has killed more than 70,000 people.