BEIRUT/BAALBEK: Hezbollah fighters Wednesday seized at least 15 positions from militants on the outskirts of a volatile northeastern border town, killing at least 11 militants, a security source said.
The source told The Daily Star Hezbollah fighters captured positions on the northern and southern outskirts of Lebanon's Arsal along the porous mountain range on Syria's western border.
Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah last month vowed to oust jihadi militants from Arsal's outskirts if the Lebanese Army failed to take action, sparking a heated debate between political rivals.
The party's opponents in Lebanon have demanded that Hezbollah stay clear of Arsal and its outskirts, describing the region as a red line.
Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV said Wednesday Hezbollah fighters had seized control over Jabal al-Zaroub and Wadi Abu Daher, in addition to several other positions on Arsal's outskirts.
They also captured positions south of the border town, the report said, including the strategic Al-Sharouq peak.
That position overlooks the areas of Al-Rahwe, Wadi al-Khayl and Wadi Atneen, allowing Hezbollah to target militant bases in the southern portion of the town's outskirts.
The party pounded militant positions in the area, destroying three armed vehicles belonging to the Nusra Front, Al-Manar reported, adding that jihadis fled en masse. It said the militants set fire to their tents before fleeing.
Following Hezbollah’s offensive, militants retreated in the direction of Arsal's southern outskirts, particularly the areas of Wadi Atneen and Wadi al-Khayl, Al-Manar said.
The report said those two areas host the Nusra Front’s central command for Qalamoun.
Another security source in Baalbek said Wednesday’s push appeared to be an attempt by Hezbollah to regain control over hilltop positions that Syria-based jihadis had briefly taken over earlier this week.
The source told The Daily Star that Islamist militants have retreated to their hideouts on the outer edges of Arsal after engaging Hezbollah in a firefight Monday.
Hezbollah and the Syrian army launched an offensive early last month in Qalamoun, capturing dozens of militant bases and driving the jihadis north toward Arsal's outskirts.
Thousands of jihadi fighters affiliated with ISIS, the Nusra Front and other groups have been planted in Arsal's outskirts since last spring. In August, the militants briefly overran Arsal, sparking a five-day battle with the Army that left dozens dead.
More than 30 soldiers and policemen were taken hostage during the battle, of whom 25 remain in captivity on the town's outskirts.
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