Lebanon army shells Daesh positions near Syria border

By Wasim Seif al-Din

BEIRUT

The Lebanese army on Saturday shelled Daesh positions in eastern Lebanon near border with war-torn Syria, according to the military.

A military statement said the artillery bombardment targeted areas where Daesh militants are holed up in Ras Baalbek.

The military released footage of the attack on the militants, who are holed up in Al-Qaa groves and Ras Baalbek at the far north-east of Lebanese-Syrian border.

Last week, Shia group Hezbollah expelled militants based in and around Juroud Arsal town near border with Syria. The fighting was backed by Syrian regime warplanes, while the Lebanese army did not directly participate in the operation.

The fighting came to a halt under a ceasefire deal between Hezbollah and Jabhat Fateh al-Sham under which militants and their families left Arsal to Syria in return for eight Hezbollah fighters captured while fighting alongside regime forces in Syria.

Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.

Since then, hundreds of thousands of Syrian civilians have been killed, according to UN officials. The Syrian regime, however, says the total number of those killed in the conflict is much lower.

By Wasim Seif al-Din

BEIRUT

The Lebanese army on Saturday shelled Daesh positions in eastern Lebanon near border with war-torn Syria, according to the military.

A military statement said the artillery bombardment targeted areas where Daesh militants are holed up in Ras Baalbek.

The military released footage of the attack on the militants, who are holed up in Al-Qaa groves and Ras Baalbek at the far north-east of Lebanese-Syrian border.

Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.

Since then, hundreds of thousands of Syrian civilians have been killed, according to UN officials. The Syrian regime, however, says the total number of those killed in the conflict is much lower.