Hezbollah and Islamic State tussle in Lebanon
Battle marks second time in a week the Syrian civil war has spilled over the border
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleThe TV station of Lebanon’s Hezbollah militia said the group repelled an attack by Islamic State group fighters in an area on the Lebanon-Syria border.
Al-Manar TV said Tuesday’s attack left several IS fighters dead or wounded and three vehicles, including a bulldozer, destroyed.
Hezbollah has been on the offensive in Syria’s Qalamoun mountains for weeks and has captured territory from al-Qaeda’s branch in Syria, the al-Nusra Front.
Al-Manar said the IS attack targeted several Hezbollah positions outside the Lebanese border village of Ras Baalbek.
Hezbollah is deeply involved in Syria’s civil war, fighting alongside President Bashar Assad’s forces, and has reportedly lost as many as 1,000 fighters in battles there.
Tuesday’s battle comes a week after an attack by the al-Nusra Front in the same area, with both sides claiming to have inflicted multiple casualties on the other.
The Times of Israel Community.