Beirut: As the Syrian regime tightens its grip the besieged town of Qusayr, trapping up to 1500 wounded inside, it has been quietly making gains elsewhere in the country, winning back key roads and towns from a rebel force desperately short of weapons and ammunition.

While Iran and Russia have kept a steady flow of armaments and other supplies into Syria, the sporadic flow of weapons to the rebels, turned on and off like a tap by opposition backers Saudi Arabia and Qatar, severely limited their scope, experts warned.

Destruction: Locally based activist Hadi Abdullah walks a Qusayr street hit by the shelling of Hezbolllah Lebanese Shiite group and the Syrian forces loyal to President Bashar Assad last Friday. Credit:AP

Yezid Sayigh, a senior associate at the Carnegie Middle East Centre in Beirut, says while the battle for Qusayr is important, other clashes around the country are of equal concern.

"Long before Hezbollah got involved in the conflict in Qusayr, the regime had already been taking the initiative, using new tactics, opening up counter-offensives or new fronts over the last two-to-four months," Mr Sayigh said.