BEIRUT: Hezbollah and the Syrian army seized total control of the outskirts of the village of Al-Juba, in the Qalamoun mountains, Monday. Clashes then intensified around the town of Ras al-Maara, according to the party’s TV outlet Al-Manar.
Syrian rebel commander Ahmad Ibrahim Massoud was reportedly wounded in the outskirts of Al-Juba as other militants fled the fighting.
Al-Manar also reported that the outskirts of Ras al-Maara were the scene of fierce clashes, with the Syrian army and Hezbollah destroying a Nusra Front headquarters.
Clashes on the Al-Barouh hill outside the town left several militants dead, including Nusra Front commander Abu al-Shweikh and field commander Abu Khaled. Al-Manar reported the names of the casualties as Abu Mousaab, Abu al-Walid al-Yabroudi, Abu Yaqoub, Abu Bakr al-Lubnani and Abu Omar.
The Syrian army and Hezbollah also destroyed three armored vehicles in the area as militants withdrew toward Al-Rahwe and Wadi Mira on outskirts of the Lebanese border town of Arsal, according to Al-Manar, which broadcast images of Hezbollah and Syrian soldiers targeting the rebels with rifle fire and artillery. The clashes erupted after Hezbollah and the Syrian army seized control of the Al-Barouh hill Monday morning.
Control of the hill, which overlooks Ras al-Maara and the Lebanese border, allows the Syrian army and its allies greater access to nearby jihadi bases. They are also trying to advance on a nearby hilltop known as Tallit Moussa, one of the highest positions in Qalamoun, according to Al-Manar. Tallit Moussa overlooks the outskirts of Arsal, and would allow Hezbollah and the Syrian army to monitor militant movements in the area.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the battles continued in the Qalamoun Monday, but had no information on casualties. Media reports claimed Hezbollah lost four fighters in the battles Monday, photos of whom were circulated on websites close to the resistance party. Hezbollah held a funeral for Mohammad Rida Zaraket in Beirut’s southern suburbs Monday. Zaraket was killed fighting in Qalamoun last week.
Syrian opposition social media websites have claimed 18 Hezbollah militants were killed in clashes with rebels as they advanced from the Lebanese village of Nahleh.
Other opposition websites claim that 25 Syrian soldiers and Hezbollah fighters were killed in the battles with rebels in the outskirts of Ras al-Maara.
The two sides have engaged in a deadly series of battles over the past week in the Qalamoun mountains, which straddle Lebanon’s eastern border. Hezbollah and the Syrian army have made important gains in the fighting, driving militants from a dozen outposts and the outskirts of several towns, including Assal al-Ward and Al-Juba.
