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Hizbullah Continues Gains in Arsal Battle, Becomes in Control of '64% of Outskirts'
[AnNahar] Hizbullah
...Party of God, a Leb militia inspired, founded, funded and directed by Iran. Hizbullah refers to itself as The Resistance and purports to defend Leb against Israel, with whom it has started and lost one disastrous war to date, though it did claim victory...
on Sunday pressed on with its assault in the outskirts of the northeastern border town of Arsal, seizing more strategic points from the hands of the Fateh al-Sham
...formerly al-Nusra, the current false nose and mustache of al-Qaeda in the Levant...
jihadist group, which was known as al-Nusra
...formally Jabhat an-Nusrah li-Ahli al-Sham (Support Front for the People of the Levant), also known as al-Qaeda in the Levant. They aim to establish a pan-Arab caliphate. Not the same one as the Islamic State, though .. ...
Front before announcing a severing of ties with al-Qaeda.

Hizbullah's military media unit said the group's fighters achieved major progress in Arsal's outskirts in the morning, capturing al-Oueini valley, "an important Nusra post in the outskirts."

Hizbullah also took the strategic Shoabat al-Qalaa mountain which, according to the military media unit, lies 2,350 meters above sea level and oversees the al-Dobb and al-Rihan valleys.

State-run National News Agency meanwhile reported that Hizbullah was firing rockets and heavy artillery at the Wadi al-Kheil valley area and advancing towards the heart of the valley which separates Arsal's outskirts from the town itself.

According to NNA, artillery and rocket fire was also targeting al-Nisr valley amid a notable advance towards the al-Shayyar hill.

Hizbullah's military media unit meanwhile announced that "64% of Arsal's outskirts and 66% of Flita's outskirts" have become under the control of Hizbullah and the Syrian army.

Also on Sunday, the Saraya Ahl al-Sham rebel group announced a ceasefire in Arsal "in preparation for negotiations."

According to the military media unit, 46 Nusra snuffies were killed in Arsal's outskirts and 23 others were killed in Flita's outskirts on Sunday while dozens of the jihadist group's fighters were maimed.

Hizbullah had launched its long-awaited assault in the border region on Friday and has lost at least 15 fighters in the ongoing battle.

Army Arrests Lebanese IS Militant in Arsal

[AnNahar] Army intelligence agents on Sunday placed in durance vile
Keep yer hands where we can see 'em, if yez please!
Lebanese national Khodr al-Fliti in the northeastern border town of Arsal, media reports said.

As TV networks described Fliti as a dangerous terrorist, state-run National News Agency said the man is accused of "working for the terrorist Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
group and trading with and transporting arms and explosives aimed at targeting army patrols."

The development comes amid a major Hizbullah offensive in the town's outskirts against al-Qaeda's former Syria affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front. Hizbullah intends to wage an operation against the IS group in the border region in the coming days, according to media reports.

Hezbollah makes fresh gains as Arsal offensive continues

[AlMasdar] The Lebanese Hezbollah fighters resumed their offensive against Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham along the Lebanon-Syria borders after negotiations with the terror group failed.

According to field sources, Hezbollah fighters stormed HTS command center in Haqa bal-Khayl located to the east of Arsal barrens, in addition to making significant advances in several points and hilltops in the jihadist-controlled area.

Meanwhile, the Syrian Army troops, backed by Hezbollah fighters, managed to impose full control on Flitah barrans in west Qalamoun.

In a related context, Saraya Ahl al-Sham; an Islamist group fighting alongside HTS in Arsal, declared they are halting fight after accepting the terms of an evacuation deal with the Syrian government and Hezbollah.

As per the deal, around 200 militants from Saraya Ahl al-Sham will be evacuated to Syria’s north.

The deal was ruled out by HTS; the Syrian al-Qaeda branch, which re-ignited the clashes between the two warring parties.

Up to 50 HTS jihadists have been killed in Arsal (East Qalamoun), 20 in West Qalamoun since the offensive began four days ago.
Posted by: trailing wife 2017-07-24
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=493394