The Syrian army has sent reinforcements, including tanks, to the village of Maaloula - which has been at the forefront of heavy clashes this week. An ancient Christian sanctuary, Maaloula has been besieged by Al-Qaeda affiliated rebels since Wednesday. RT's Maria Finoshina has gained access to the stricken area. <br /><br />FOLLOW LIVE UPDATES on Syria 'chemical weapons' crisis: http://on.rt.com/0yh5ju <br /><br />FOLLOW Maria Finoshina on Twitter: http://twitter.com/MFinoshina_RT <br /><br />RT LIVE http://rt.com/on-air <br /><br />Like us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/RTnews <br />Follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/RT_com <br />Follow us on Instagram http://instagram.com/rt <br />Follow us on Google+ http://plus.google.com/+RT <br /><br />RT (Russia Today) is a global news network broadcasting from Moscow and Washington studios.
