Gunmen Retreat from Border Posts as Lebanese Army Refuses to Engage Qalamoun Battle
Gunmen entrenched on the outskirts of the eastern Lebanese border reportedly withdrew from their positions as the Lebanese army denied involvement in a gunbattle outside the country's border.
“Information obtained during the past two days indicates that gunmen withdrew in a limited manner from posts controlled on the outskirts,” a source close to Hizbullah said in comments published in An Nahar newspaper on Monday.
The source said that the party “is dealing with the retreat as a tactic... we will not take control of the positions deserted by gunmen without a wide attack that cleanses the area from takfiri armed men.”
“The zero hour is yet to be determined... it's close.”
Fighters linked to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in the Syrian al-Qalamoun have been allegedly mobilizing and moving closer to the border with Lebanon ahead of a battle along the country's eastern border.
The Lebanese army frequently clashes with the militants in their hideouts near the Syria border.
The IS, which controls several areas in Syria and Iraq, aims to spread to Lebanon as its fighters position in the outskirts of Bekaa towns bordering Syria and the Lebanese army is in adamant efforts to stop their efforts to infiltrate the country.
ISIL and al-Qaida-affiliate al-Nusra Front are battling in Qalamoun the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad and Hizbullah forces alongside each other, with support from some smaller Islamist rebel groups.
Despite ideological similarities, the two groups are opposed and in conflict with each other in other parts of Syria, particularly in the north.
Meanwhile, the Lebanese army denied any attempt to engage in battles outside Lebanon's border.
A high-ranking military source told al-Joumhouria newspaper that “the army will not get involved in the much-anticipated al-Qalamoun battle as it will be on Syrian territories.”
The source denied any coordination between the army and Hizbullah backed by the Syrian forces.
It stressed that the Lebanese troops “are fully carrying out their duties along the border to protect the country from the repercussions of the Qalamoun battle.”
“We are ready for any sudden assault.”
H.K.
G.K.
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