Hizbullah Loses Two New Fighters in Qalamun, Supports Regime Forces in Jobar

Two Hizbullah members were killed on Thursday in Syria's al-Qalamun region in clashes with opposition forces battling the Damascus regime including al-Nusra Front fighters, an NGO reported on Friday.

"Two Hizbullah members were killed yesterday and six others were injured” during clashes against fighters of Islamic brigades and al-Nusra Front in al-Qalamun, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Friday.

Party members were also involved in fierce clashes near Ras al-Rafii hill in Ras al-Maarra region, and in the ongoing fighting in the Flita plains of al-Qalamun.

The Observatory noted that Syrian troops, aided by other fighters, ambushed opposition forces in the same Qalamun region.

"At least 10 supporters of al-Nusra Front and of the Islamic brigades were killed in the ambush,” the Britain-based monitoring group revealed.

Rounds of clashes also took place at the outskirts of the eastern Jobar neighborhood, according to the same source.

"Hizbullah used Iranian surface-to-surface missiles in the Jobar battles,” it said.

And late on Thursday evening, al-Zahra neighborhood to the west of Aleppo witnessed clashes between opposition fighters and regime forces, aided by members of Hizbullah and of Baathist brigades.

The clashes took place near the air force intelligence building, the Observatory remarked.

Hizbullah has been involved in the Syrian turmoil for over one year and a half alongside President Bashar Assad's forces. Party chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has repeatedly assured that “Syria, the backbone of the resistance, will not be left alone.”

Hizbullah says it is fighting in Syria to prevent extremists from entering Lebanon, and the group dispatched thousands of fighters to al-Qalamun in particular, just across the border from Arsal.

The group's fighters helped regime forces recapture most of al-Qalamun earlier this year, with opposition fighters taking refuge in mountains along the border.

S.D.B.

M.T.