Hizbullah Shells Nusra, Blows Up Operations Rooms as Top Militant Killed
Hizbullah fired rockets and artillery Wednesday afternoon at al-Nusra Front's posts in Arsal's Wadi Hmayyed area and blew up Nusra “operations rooms” in the town's outskirts, following cautious calm in the morning.
The Lebanese army also fired artillery rounds at militant posts in the Eastern Mountain Range after detecting “suspicious movements,” the National News Agency said.
Syrian warplanes meanwhile launched consecutive raids on the posts of the militants in Arsal's outskirts and the sounds of bombardment were echoing across northern Bekaa, NNA said.
On the humanitarian front, the Lebanese Red Cross, in coordination with the International Committee of the Red Cross, transferred three wounded militants from Wadi Hmayyed to the al-Rahma Hopsital in Arsal.
Earlier in the day, Hizbullah's operations room reported that a Nusra military commander, Ammar Wardi, was killed during the battles.
The National News Agency said Syrian warplanes staged several airstrikes at dawn on the Zamarani crossing along the Lebanese-Syrian border targeting militants.
Battles between Hizbullah and al-Nusra Front had intensified early Wednesday on the Wadi Hmayyed hills before subsiding, NNA said.
The agency added that Hizbullah was trying to protect civilians by distancing the battlefields from the encampments of refugees.
It managed to encircle some hills and highlands in Wadi Hmayyed in anticipation of a new battle, the agency said.
Hizbullah had kicked off its offensive in Arsal's outskirts on Friday.
On Monday, Hizbullah said its fight against al-Nusra was "nearing its end," calling on the group's militants to surrender.
Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah is scheduled to address the developments in a televised speech on Wednesday evening.
Source: Naharnet, Agence France Presse
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