Reports of 'massacre' in eastern Syria British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says at least 60 Shia Muslims killed by rebels near Deir al-Zour.

Fighters from the Shia group Hezbollah helped the Syrian army defeat oppositon rebels in Qusayr [Reuters]

Syrian rebels have attacked a village in the country's east, killing dozens of Shias, mostly pro-government fighters, activists said. On Wednesday, a Syrian government official denounced the attack, saying Tuesday’s attack was a “massacre'' of civilians. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 60 people were killed in the village of Hatla in the oil-rich province that borders Iraq. A video posted to Youtube by the Observatory showed masked fighters shouting, “Here are the Mujahidin [Islamist fighters] celebrating entering the homes of the rejectionists, the Shias.” Spotlight In-depth coverage of escalating violence across Syria The fighter added that they “burned the homes” of the Shia residents. The killings, which took place in the eastern Deir al-Zour province, highlight the sectarian nature of Syria's conflict that has killed more than 80,000 people, according to the UN. Thousands of rebels took part in the attack and at least 10 of them were killed in the fighting, said the Observatory. In Damascus, a government official told the AP news agency the rebels “carried out a massacre against villagers in which older people and children were killed.'' The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media. The fighting in Deir al-Zour came a week after Syrian troops, backed by Lebanon's Shia Hezbollah group, captured the strategic town of Qusayr near the Lebanese border after nearly three weeks of fierce battles that killed dozens of troops, rebels and Hezbollah members.