The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

The presence of the factions ends in the entire northwest of Rif Dimashq, regime forces and Hezbollah almost restore the borders of Qalamoun with Lebanon

Rif Dimashq province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: the sounds of gunfire are still heard in the barren mountains of the Western Qalamoun at the Syrian-Lebanese border, where the regime forces and members from the Lebanese Hezbollah sweep into the town of Felita, its hills and heights, to take full effective control of the area with the end of the sweep process, after clashes entered its 3rd day and ended in it, where the past 48 hours have witnessed violent clashes between Hayyaat Tahrir Al-Sham and Islamic factions against Hezbollah, the regime forces and gunmen loyal to them, after preparations for a military action in parallel between the Syrian and Lebanese sides, while the fate of the remaining fighters who were trying to repel the attack of the regime and Hezbollah has not been known yet, and with this advancement the regime forces have only a few kilometers of areas controlled by the “Islamic State” organization (which are adjacent to areas controlled by the factions) to control and regain the rest of Al-Qalamoun border with Lebanon, and if they controlled the part mentioned above; there will only remain several kilometers from the entire Syrian-Lebanese border in the southwest of Rif Dimashq opposite to Shebaa Farms.

This advancement also completely ends the presence of the factions in the northwest of Rif Dimashq, which includes the Western Qalamoun, large parts of the Eastern Qalamoun, Zabadani plain, Madaya and Wadi Barada, where the regime forces has recovered most of the areas recently, through “reconciliation and displacement agreements” that ended with the exit of those who rejected the “reconciliation and settlement” agreement with the regime, and they went to the Syrian north along with their families and civilians who rejected to the same agreement.

The Syrian Observatory was published on Friday morning that after preparations lasted for days in the Western Qalamoun Mountains and its barren mountains; the regime forces supported by the Lebanese Hezbollah and the gunmen loyal to them of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities, started military operation in the barren mountains of Felita town adjacent to the Syrian-Lebanese border, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned that violent clashes are taking place between the Islamic factions and Hayyaat Tahrir Al-Sham against the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them and the Lebanese Hezbollah, amid intense shelling by the last mentioned since the dawn of today Friday the 21st of July 2017, on areas controlled by the factions, reliable sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory that the regime forces and Hezbollah were able to achieve the first advancement by taking control of a hill and points in the barren mountains of Felita, trying to achieve a greater advancement through intensifying the shelling and forcing the factions to withdraw from this area, which is under the control of the factions, and which is no more than 40 square kilometers and adjacent to an area controlled by the “Islamic State” organization with an approximate 120 square kilometers of size.

Cross-sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that the operation are being carried out simultaneously from within Syrian territory and from the Lebanese side, in an attempt to force the factions to surrender or fight to the end, for there is no destination for them to withdraw to, also the military operation is expected to continue and extend to areas controlled by the “Islamic State” organization on the border with the Lebanese Arsal, and if the regime forces and Hezbollah control these areas, then they would have restored the entire border between Lebanon and the Western Qalamoun, Zabadani plain and until Sheikh Mountain.