Resistance Fighters from the Lebanese Hezbollah have managed to
take control over a strategic area in Lebanon’s Southern border town of Arsal,
and drove al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front out from the territory.
Lebanese security
sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Hezbollah fighters engaged
the Takfiri terrorists on Friday, and regained full control of the al-Rahwah
crossing on the outskirts of Arsal, which lies about 124 kilometers (77 miles)
Northeast of the capital, Beirut.
The terrorists of Nusra Front, al-Qaeda offshoot in Syria,
continued collectively escaping the battlefield in al-Rahwa, heading towards
al-Khayl valley.
The sources added that a number of militants were killed in the
process, while many more fled the area.
The development
comes a day after forces from the Lebanese resistance movement took back the
strategic border crossing of al-Darb, located southwest of Arsal, from al-Nusra
Front militants.
The militants previously used the Darb crossing to transfer
explosives as well as munitions into the Lebanese village of Labwah, situated
about eight kilometers (five miles) west of Arsal.
Hezbollah fighters
have been engaged in battles against terrorists in the Lebanese border areas
over the past weeks.
On June 3, the fighters managed to clear the border heights of
Majr al-Hamra and Shamis al-Hamra of the terrorists.
On May 27, scores of
al-Nusra Front terrorists were killed after Hezbollah fighters, having spotted
militant hideouts by means of a drone, mounted a surprise attack in an area
located between Arsal and the northeastern Lebanese village of Nahle.
Hezbollah fighters
and units of the Syrian army launched a joint operation on May 4 to push back
the Takfiri terrorists from the mountainous Syrian border region of Qalamoun.
They have so far made considerable victories over the militants, driving them
out of major towns in Syria, including Assal al-Ward and Jard al-Juba, and
several other areas.
Previously Hezbollah fighters have recaptured
border heights in the Lebanese town of Arsal from terrorists.
In their operations, Hezbollah fighters managed to clear the
border heights of Majr al-Hamra and Shamis al-Hamra of the terrorists.
A large number of
terrorists were killed and injured in the operations in Arsal, which lies about
124 kilometers (77 miles) northeast of the capital, Beirut.
The fighters of the
resistance movement had previously managed to clear many areas in the Qalamoun
region of terrorists.
Hezbollah fighters
and the Syrian army conducted joint operations to push back terrorists from the
strategic region of Qalamoun on May 4. Two days later, Hezbollah fighters
captured the al-Qubaa and al-Naffar hills in Qalamoun.
Hezbollah’s new push to liberate areas around
Arsal comes after the group’s month-long operation in the neighboring
mountainous region of Qalamoun, where the resistance fighters managed to
liberate scores of hilltops and destroyed the hideouts of militants.
The operation in Arsal is important for Hezbollah from the
national perspective, as the resistance movement seeks to free more than two
dozen of Lebanese servicemen captured by terrorist groups in the region.
The Lebanese
servicemen were taken hostage during clashes in Arsal in August 2014. Militants
took more than 30 soldiers and policemen hostage in the five-day fighting with
the Lebanese army and security forces, of whom 25 still remain in captivity on
the town’s outskirts.
Beirut government says army will support Arsal operations
On Thursday,
Lebanese Information Minister Ramzi Joreige said the army has been
tasked by the government to come up with the “best assessment” of the situation
in Arsal and the surrounding areas.
Hezbollah Secretary
General Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah had earlier said that if the Lebanese army
fails to take a decisive action in Arsal, the resistance movement would not
hesitate to move to purge the region from terrorists.
Thousands of Nusra
militants as well as members of the Takfiri ISIS terrorist group are believed
to be operating on the outskirts of Arsal while new reports suggest a large
number of militants from Syria are also heading there to counter Hezbollah’s
advance.
