Jeremy Bowen said that a heavy gunfight with rebels was continuing in Maaloula, with smoke rising into the sky.
He added that he had not seen evidence confirming religious sites had been damaged by al-Qaeda-linked jihadists.
Fighting over the town, 55km (34 miles) north of Damascus, began last week after rebels attacked a checkpoint.
Free Syrian Army (FSA) units and members of the jihadist al-Nusra Front occupied Maaloula for several hours on Thursday before withdrawing when their positions were bombed by government warplanes.
Then on Sunday, activists said government soldiers and pro-government militiamen had been forced to pull back to the outskirts following a fresh rebel assault.
Since then, most of the town's 3,300 residents have fled to safer parts of the country including Damascus, where some told the BBC that three people had been killed and six kidnapped.
They said al-Nusra fighters had desecrated churches and statues.
However, our correspondent in Maaloula has seen statues in churches which were left undamaged. (+ videos) » | Wednesday, September 11, 2013
