is fighters begin evacuating lebanon border area
Last Updated : GMT 06:49:16
Arab Today, arab today
Arab Today, arab today
Last Updated : GMT 06:49:16
Arab Today, arab today

IS fighters begin evacuating Lebanon border area

Arab Today, arab today

Arab Today, arab today IS fighters begin evacuating Lebanon border area

Islamic State group fighters began
Beirut - Arab Today

Islamic State group fighters began evacuating a Syrian-Lebanese border region Monday under an unprecedented deal to end three years of jihadist presence there, Syrian state television and Hezbollah said.

The evacuation comes a week into a Lebanese army campaign against the group on the Lebanese side of the border, coinciding with a joint Syrian army and Hezbollah offensive on neighbouring Syrian territory.

Under the evacuation deal, several hundred jihadists and their families on both sides of the border are set to leave by bus for Deir Ezzor in eastern Syria, the country's only province still under IS control.

Early Monday evening, Hezbollah and Syrian state television said that "buses transporting IS fighters have left the (Syrian) region of Qara, in western Qalamun, and are heading for the town of Albu Kamal in Deir Ezzor".

Hezbollah said "hundreds of IS fighters" had left the border area of eastern Lebanon, but this was not confirmed by the Lebanese army.

"The objectives (of the operation) have been achieved," Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said in a speech broadcast live on the party's Al-Manar television channel.

"IS was expelled from Lebanese territory... the border was secured and the western Qalamun (on the Syrian side) was liberated" from the jihadists," he said.

Nasrallah said the battle had cost Hezbollah 11 fighters and the Syrian army seven soldiers. Lebanon's army has said it lost six soldiers.

Earlier, a Lebanese army source told AFP that no convoys would leave the area until DNA tests had been carried out on bodies found in the region at the weekend, believed to be the remains of eight Lebanese soldiers IS kidnapped in 2014.

The Lebanese army launched an offensive against IS in the mountainous Jurud Arsal and Jurud Ras Baalbek border regions on August 19.

It said Tuesday it had seized most of the territory formerly held by the jihadists.

At the same time, Hezbollah mounted a parallel offensive to dislodge IS from the Syrian side of the frontier.

The Lebanese army and Hezbollah announced a ceasefire on both sides of the border after reaching the evacuation deal over the weekend.

On Monday, dozens of Lebanese soldiers were seen manning positions on a string of hilltops in Jurud Ras Baalbek.

Most appeared relaxed, leaning on armoured personnel carriers and waving to journalists embedded with Lebanese troops.

Others manned vehicle-mounted heavy machineguns and looked out over the arid territory they had seized in the nine-day fight.

Smoke could be seen rising behind hilltops along the border.

"Daesh is burning its homes and bases before evacuating," a member of the special forces told AFP, using an Arabic acronym for IS.

Lebanese army General Fadi Daoud said the area had been secured, but that there was still a danger of mines laid by the jihadists.

"Daesh is done, but we may still find caves with bombs in them," he said.

"There are caves and small rooms in the area. If a soldier doesn't go into each room, clear it, and mark it as safe, then we can't say that we're done."

The war ravaging Syria has overflowed into Lebanon on several occasions.

IS has claimed several deadly bombings, clashed with the army and Hezbollah as well as winning a foothold in the mountainous east of the country.

source:AFP

arabstoday
arabstoday

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

is fighters begin evacuating lebanon border area is fighters begin evacuating lebanon border area

 



Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

is fighters begin evacuating lebanon border area is fighters begin evacuating lebanon border area

 



GMT 10:10 2017 Thursday ,09 February

3 Important Elements You Have to Consider

GMT 04:03 2017 Monday ,24 April

Bella Hadid ‘dying’ to visit Palestine

GMT 19:25 2016 Wednesday ,25 May

The Brooklyn Desk by Oeuf NYC

GMT 07:49 2018 Friday ,05 January

2 Russian servicemen killed

GMT 07:58 2018 Monday ,01 January

Italy orders N. Korea's envoy to leave

GMT 08:45 2017 Wednesday ,20 December

US military imagines war without GPS

GMT 17:26 2017 Sunday ,17 December

Putin thanks Trump for help in foiling attack plot

GMT 22:19 2017 Monday ,16 October

Cairo-hosted Fatwa conf. new contribution

GMT 02:27 2016 Friday ,10 June

Video hints Japan abetting illegal ivory trade

GMT 07:04 2017 Wednesday ,19 April

1,883 Bahrainis found jobs in March

GMT 14:24 2016 Tuesday ,22 November

Citi and JPMorgan top list of ‘globally banks’
Arab Today, arab today
 
 Arab Today Facebook,arab today facebook  Arab Today Twitter,arab today twitter Arab Today Rss,arab today rss  Arab Today Youtube,arab today youtube  Arab Today Youtube,arab today youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday
arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday
arabstoday
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
arabstoday, Arabstoday, Arabstoday