Hezbollah mobilizes for decisive Qalamoun battle
Hezbollah has announced a general mobilization within its ranks in preparation for a decisive battle against Islamist militants in Syria’s Qalamoun mountains expected to break out between April 1 and April 15, security sources said, The Daily Star reported.
Hezbollah’s military operations against Syria-based jihadis will be carried out in coordination with the regular Syrian army through a joint operations room in rural Damascus commanded by a Syrian-Iranian-Hezbollah military commission, the sources said. They added that Hezbollah, which is receiving military supplies from Iran, has begun logistical preparations for the battles.
According to sources familiar with the situation on the eastern border with Syria, Hezbollah has divided the Qalamoun region into two axes as part of its readiness for the battles with ISIS and Nusra Front gunmen holed up in caves in rugged mountainous areas near the border with Lebanon.
The first axis includes the villages of Nabk, Yabroud and Asal al-Ward. Located near the northeastern town of Arsal, this area is of strategic importance because it is considered an important outlet on the Homs international highway and it is also a pivotal supply route for Hezbollah, the sources said.
The second axis includes the towns of Zabadani and Rankous up to the Lebanese Shebaa area in the south, they said.