Ceasefire Deal Reached in Arsal's Outskirts
Fighting between Hizbullah and a former al-Qaida affiliate on the Syria-Lebanon border halted Thursday after a ceasefire was reached, Lebanese media and Hizbullah outlets reported.
The ceasefire comes a week after Hizbullah launched an offensive against the jihadists in the mountainous border region of Arsal's outskirts.
Hizbullah's War Media Channel said it suspended combat operations in the outskirts of Arsal starting 6:00 am today.
The National News Agency said the ceasefire was agreed between Hizbullah fighters and militants of al-Nusra Front after mediation efforts carried out by General Security chief Abbas Ibrahim succeeded at sealing the deal.
The ceasefire deal, which came into effect at 6:00 am, was reached when a condition related to Hizbullah's fighters was met, NNA said.
Under the deal, the remaining fighters from the al-Nusra Front will withdraw from the region.
NNA added that Ibrahim is due to release a ceasefire announcement on the deal later on Thursday. The al-Nusra fighters and their families will go to Idlib, a province in northwestern Syria largely under the control of the jihadists.
Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Wednesday declared a “major victory” in his group's offensive against the jihadist al-Nusra Front group, while announcing that Hizbullah is willing to hand over all captured territory to the Lebanese army.
He also revealed that a possible settlement could be reached through “ongoing negotiations” for the withdrawal of the militants under certain conditions. He said the “serious negotiations” had started on Tuesday and that “an official Lebanese side” is in charge of the mediation.
Hizbullah has waged a five-day offensive across the scraggy landscape of Arsal's outskirts to oust what it says are ex-al-Qaida Syrian jihadists.
Syrian warplanes have backed the push with regular air strikes from their side of the frontier.
Lebanon's army has not officially declared its participation in the operation, but has shelled "terrorists" in the area.
Source: Naharnet, Agence France Presse
| Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. | https://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/233369 |