Lebanese border town calm despite nearby offensive by Hezbollah, Syrian army - town official
Record ID:
903553
Lebanese border town calm despite nearby offensive by Hezbollah, Syrian army - town official
- Title: Lebanese border town calm despite nearby offensive by Hezbollah, Syrian army - town official
- Date: 21st July 2017
- Summary: LABWE, LEBANON (JULY 21, 2017) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF ARSAL MOUNTAINS AS SEEN FROM LABWE VARIOUS OF HEAD OF MUNICIPALITY OF ARSAL BASSEL AL-HUJEIRI SPEAKING TO JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) LEBANESE HEAD OF MUNICIPALITY OF ARSAL, BASSEL AL-HUJEIRI, SAYING: "Since the early morning hours, the battle started at high intensity with heavy shelling targeting the militants' locations. Inside the town of Arsal, as we expected, the situation is calm and our Syrian brothers have promised to stay in their camps, tents and houses. The people of Arsal understand the situation." CARS DRIVING ALONG ROAD WHICH LEADS TO ARSAL (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) LEBANESE HEAD OF MUNICIPALITY OF ARSAL, BASSEL AL-HUJEIRI, SAYING: "There is no fear inside (Arsal), there is no fear inside the camps and it is impossible for anyone to break the security cordon and checkpoints of the Lebanese army, so there is no fear from inside nor outside." ARSAL MOUNTAINS AS SEEN FROM LABWE
- Embargoed: 4th August 2017 16:40
- Keywords: Mideast crisis Syria Lebanon Arsal mountains Labwe Hezbollah Syrian army
- Location: LABWE, LEBANON
- City: LABWE, LEBANON
- Country: Lebanon
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace
- Reuters ID: LVA0016QNVUPZ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:The head of the municipality of Arsal, Bassel al-Hujeiri, said the situation inside the Lebanese border town was "calm" despite "heavy shelling" on the other side of the border as the Lebanese group Hezbollah and the Syrian army launched on Friday (July 21) an offensive to clear militants from their last foothold near the border.
In 2014, Arsal was the scene of one of the most serious spillovers of the Syrian war into Lebanon when jihadists briefly overran the town.
Several thousand Syrian refugees occupy camps east of the town in Juroud Arsal, a barren mountainous zone between Syria and Lebanon that has served as a base for Islamic State militants, jihadists and other rebels fighting in Syria's six year civil war.
Al-Hujeiri said Syrian refugees living in the area have promised not to take part in the fighting.
The Lebanese army, a recipient of U.S. and British military support, deployed reinforcements on the outskirts of Arsal in anticipation of the operation this week to prevent militants crossing into Lebanon. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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