Syria Army, Hizbullah Start Battle for Rankus in Qalamun
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Syrian regime forces have shelled the Rankus area ahead of an operation to retake the town, one of the last rebel-held regions in the Qalamun area, a monitoring group said Tuesday.
Hizbullah's al-Manar television also reported that the Syrian army had begun an offensive against Rankus.
A military source, meanwhile, told AFP that regime forces had taken a hilltop position by Rankus and were surrounding the town.
The Qalamun region is strategic because it lies along the border with Lebanon and the main highway between Damascus and the city of Homs runs through it.
"The area of Rankus in Qalamun has been under heavy shelling and continuous air raids since Monday, ahead of a plan to storm it," Syrian Observatory for Human Rights chief Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.
He said Hizbullah was leading the operation by regime forces in the region, where the army has gradually recaptured control of almost all areas formerly held by the rebels.
Fighters from pro-regime militias were also involved in the battle, which comes after the regime secured a major victory by capturing the rebel bastion of Yabrud nearby on March 15.
With the fall of Yabrud, rebel forces lost most of their supply routes crossing the border into Lebanon.
08 April 2014, 18:45
56
Wasnt qalamoun supposed to be finished and under control ?
Only good news more dirty Hizbos coming back in bodybags...
09 April 2014, 01:01
30
its not the fall of yabrud that cut rebels supply lines, but unfortunately its our LAF entering and besieging arsal...
08 April 2014, 18:58
48
I am for HA involvement in Syria and I agree with Nasrullah they should have gotten involved much earlier. I just hope they never leave, and never come back.... at least alive.
08 April 2014, 19:05
02
it will be over soon , and whoever protect my country from priest killers and nones kidnapers is a hero
08 April 2014, 20:29
20
question for any of you guys
what is it that this article just appeared on Naharnet yet I see your comments done like 2 hours ago or so. What am I missing? why didn't this article appear like 2 hours ago? This kind of things happen regularly. Am I missing something??
09 April 2014, 00:18
00
ibnharethreik
sorry for my late reply
but seriously do you experience same?
08 April 2014, 20:33
00
administrator of naharnet when you ban my post which are very civilized and very polite its an honor for me cause I know that the truth hurts
08 April 2014, 21:17
46
bashar policy : destroy his own country to govern over ruins....
08 April 2014, 22:15
02
Are there any more villages not touched by this war???I am not with Assad but it seems the rebels lost...can't they stop fihting for the sake of the Syrian people and wait for another chance?
09 April 2014, 00:16
21
Cynical since the primary reason why Syrian rebellion started in the first place is robbed by foreign interests, and the people are still being neglected by the government. When the drought was as obvious as the fields were already dead even before the rebellion, the Syrian government took no self initiative for a road map to strengthen their economy and feed her people except having already been ousted from Lebanon after some 30 years of robbing the country. This is nothing but taking advantage of natural disasters (here, drought) and turn the same to ones geopolitical gains with those who are playing in the same sand box. Assad has succeeded of causing the migration of over a million Syrians that he has no intention of caring for. Ironically, these grieving Syrians were happy so long as they were robbing Lebanon. Once Lebanon was over, these animals turned against their government rightfully so. I say let them kill each other and leave Lebanon alone.
09 April 2014, 20:43
00
Islamic repubublic of iran forces support resistans against israel and its supporters in syria and lebanon. God bless syria bashar alassad.
