fell under rebel control during the uprising against President Bashar al - Assad . At the entrance to Madaya , Abu Shadi said , pro - Assad fighters have hung a sign proclaiming contact.publicstatementinperson.broadcast “ Kneel or starve , ” a slogan intended to capture the stark choice confronting rebels in the besieged communities . He said most of the fighters surrounding the town belong to the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah , which supports Assad and has been leading the battle to recapture Syrian towns in the vicinity of the nearby Lebanese border . Hezbollah denied the allegations , saying that rebels were preventing residents from leaving .