Sarraf Receives Call Supporting Army from Iraqi Counterpart

Iraqi Defense Minister Irfan al-Hayali on Sunday called his Lebanese counterpart Yaaqoub Sarraf to voice support for the Lebanese army in its fight against terror, Lebanon's National News Agency said.

“Iraq, which has suffered a lot from the woes of terrorism, knows very well the importance of the battle that the Lebanese army is fighting and its impact on the region,” the Iraqi minister told Sarraf, hoping Lebanon will “celebrate victory soon.”

Lebanese soldiers renewed fire on Islamic State group positions on the country's eastern border with Syria on Sunday after capturing a third of the territory held by jihadists in the area.

The army began its operation in the mountainous outskirts of Ras Baalbek and al-Qaa early on Saturday, and in the first day captured around 30 square kilometers of territory, a military spokesman said.

Lebanon's battle against IS comes as the jihadist group faces assaults in both neighboring Syria and Iraq, where the government early Sunday announced an offensive on the group's bastion of Tal Afar.