Lebanese Army Advances Against Islamic State Positions

The Lebanese Army, continuing its operations against the Islamic State (ISIS) along the eastern borders of the country with Syria, which has so far resulted in the recapture of one-third of its occupied territory, expanded its attacks to other positions of the group on Sunday, August 19. According to a spokesperson for the Lebanese Army, operations in the 'Jroud Ras Baalbek' and 'Jroud Ras al-Qaa' areas began in the early hours of Saturday, and on that day, the army managed to reclaim 30 square kilometers of its occupied territory. This military official stated that 20 members of the Islamic State were killed and 10 soldiers were injured during the operation. Meanwhile, Reuters reported that three Lebanese soldiers were killed on Sunday evening when their vehicle hit a mine in eastern Lebanon. The Lebanese Army's operations come as the Islamic State is also facing attacks from Iraqi and Syrian forces, and the group has claimed responsibility for attacks against civilians in Spain. In honor of the victims of ISIS in Spain, Lebanese soldiers raised the Spanish flag on one of the heights they reclaimed from the group. The Lebanese Army estimates that prior to Saturday's attack, about 600 ISIS militants were present in an area of approximately 120 square kilometers. The National News Agency of Lebanon reported on Sunday that the army had launched heavy artillery and rocket fire towards ISIS positions in the 'Jroud Ras Baalbek' area. The Lebanese Army's attacks follow operations by Hezbollah against jihadists from ISIS and al-Qaeda at another point along Lebanon's borders, which lasted six days and ended with a ceasefire between the two sides. According to this agreement, about 8,000 refugees and jihadist forces were transferred to areas controlled by 'jihadist groups' in northwestern Syria, and five Hezbollah militants who had been captured were also released. Hezbollah announced on Saturday that it had simultaneously conducted operations against ISIS from the Syrian side of the border with Lebanon. The Lebanese Army has denied any cooperation or coordination with Hezbollah in this regard. The Shiite group Hezbollah stated that it had conducted operations against the so-called Islamic State in cooperation with the Syrian Army in the western Qalamoun region. The current operations come about a month after Hezbollah and the Syrian Army launched operations aimed at pushing Sunni extremist militants away from the Lebanon-Syria border. The target of these operations was Sunni militants from the al-Nusra Front, which is linked to al-Qaeda and, according to Reuters, 'controlled the mountainous areas of Jroud Arsal.' The town of 'Arsal' in Lebanon witnessed attacks from both ISIS and the al-Nusra Front in 2014, thus spilling the Syrian civil war, which has lasted over six years, into northeastern Lebanon. The Islamic State has been under significant pressure, especially in the past month, and has been forced to retreat and flee from several locations.