Lebanese Ministry of Information
Hezbollah gained more ground on the northeastern Lebanese border with Syria over the weekend, as part of its offensive launched Friday against Jabhat Fatah al-Sham positions on the Arsal outskirts.
Hezbollah carried out rocket attacks with the support of Syrian airstrikes against militant posts in the Arsal outskirts and the Qalamoun mountains in Syria.
The Lebanese Army also maintained tight security around Arsal to ensure militants could not infiltrate the town. Local media reported that Army artillery repeatedly shelled militants and blocked them from advancing toward the Syrian encampments near the town.
Arsal was briefly overrun by extremists in August 2014, when Daesh (ISIS) and Jabhat Fatah al-Sham – formerly known as the Nusra Front – captured a number of Lebanese soldiers and policemen.
Some of servicemen were released in a 2015 handover with the militants. Nine soldiers are still believed to be held captive by Daesh.
Saturday, Hezbollah said its fighters seized most of the area controlled by the Jabhat Fatah al-Sham. By Sunday evening, Hezbollah said it had taken control of about 70 percent of territory previously held Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, in addition to the entire adjacent Flita outskirts within Syria.
Hezbollah Saturday had also announced that it had taken control of the highest point in the Arsal outskirts, Wadi Dahr al-Hawa hill, 2,015 meters above sea level.
Jabhat Fatah al-Sham militants Saturday reportedly issued distress calls through loudspeakers to refugees in nearby encampments, calling for support.
An Army statement said the group targeted Ahmad al-Fliti, who had been mediating between the militant group and Hezbollah, while he was on his way to Arsal from the outskirts, hitting his vehicle with an explosive. The former Arsal deputy mayor succumbed to his wounds at a Baalbeck hospital on the same day and was laid to rest Sunday.
Since the start of the operation, Lebanese Red Cross teams have coordinated with the Army to evacuate a number of refugee families from Arsal’s outskirts into the town. International Committee of the Red Cross teams and local volunteers also helped in providing medical and humanitarian aid to the residents of the town and the outskirts under Army supervision.
“We will continue to ensure the wounded in Arsal have access to treatment,” Christophe Martin, ICRC head in Lebanon said via Twitter, stressing that his team will be on-call to provide the necessary assistance, including food supplies.
Al-Hayat daily newspaper Sunday said that Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk requested the presence of Internal Security Forces and General Security officers in the Lebanese Army’s operation room to ensure constant coordination.
The newspaper also reported that the Interior Ministry is preparing to address the possibility of a mass displacement of people from the outskirts of Arsal.
Machnouk said there are 12,000 refugees in the settlements around Arsal. Saturday, he held several meetings with local and international humanitarian organizations on the means of averting a humanitarian crisis in the area.
In line with Hezbollah’s offensive, the Lebanese Army cracked down on a number of terror suspects inside Arsal.
A security source told The Daily Star that Army Intelligence Sunday arrested Khodr Deeb al-Fliti, born in 1978, on charges of collaborating with Daesh, as well as for transferring and trading weapons and explosives to target Army patrols inside Arsal.
Saturday, the Army had detained two suspected fugitives in Arsal over arrest warrants.
Despite the caution, citizens in Arsal continued their lives as usual, praising the role of the Army in maintaining stability.
As the offensive against militants in the outskirts the northeast border town of Arsal enters its fourth day Monday, Hezbollah advanced towards positions held by Jabhat Fatah al-Sham.
Hezbollah’s War Media Center announced that Hezbollah has established full control over Wadi al-Khayl, which is considered to be one of Jabaht Fatah al-Sham most important stronghold.
Al-Manar reported that Hezbollah fighters have control of Wadi al-Maaysrah and the Qalaat al-Hosn height on Arsal’s outskirts.
Later on Al-Manar channel announced that Hezbollah fighters had launched a wide attack from several fronts towards Wadi al-Khayl and Hasen al-Kherbeh east Arsal. It added that Hezbollah’s advancement in Wadi al-Khayl was associated with heavy clashes with militants belonging to Jabhat Fatah al-Sham – previously known as the Nusra Front.
