Hizbullah Takes Umm Khorj Post as 3 Members Killed, 1 'Captured' in Qalamun

Hizbullah on Wednesday seized control of the so-called Umm Khorj post, from which militants launched their Sunday attack on the party's Ain Saa post in Brital's outskirts, amid reports that a Hizbullah fighter was “captured” in the Bqal al-Assal area in Syria's Qalamun.

In remarks to al-Jadeed TV, a Hizbullah source confirmed that his group had taken Umm Khorj, noting that “it was the launchpad for al-Nusra (Front's) gunmen on Sunday and it strategically overlooks Assal al-Ward's mountains.”

The Lebanese party had on Tuesday made advances in the region, where it is fighting alongside the Syrian army against Syrian rebels and Nusra jihadists.

A video published Sunday by al-Nusra had mentioned that the Qaida-linked group managed to capture Umm Khorj, without referring to the Ain Saa post, which Hizbullah said it lost for a brief period of time.

Meanwhile, the Hizbullah-affiliated al-Ahed news website said “the jihadist fighters of the resistance seized control of the post, which is situated at a height of 2,300 meters above sea level and represents a strategic hill that overlooks the mountains of Assal al-Ward, al-Khashaat and al-Jibbeh in Qalamun.”

According to confirmed reports, Hizbullah has lost three fighters in fresh battles in the region. Eight other fighters were killed when the party repelled a major offensive on its posts along the Syrian-Lebanese border on Sunday.

“Three fighters from Lebanon's Hizbullah were killed in clashes with the Islamist brigades and the fighters of al-Nusra Front in Qalamun's mountains,” the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.

The news were confirmed by websites that are close to Hizbullah, which identified the three fighters as Jad al-Bizri, Hassan Yehia Atwi and Mohammed Ahmed Zbibo.

Al-Nusra meanwhile published a picture on social networking websites, claiming it has captured a Hizbullah fighter it identified as Imad Ayyad.

After the image was posted, several pro-Hizbullah websites retracted reports that had announced Ayyad's death.

And as the Observatory said an Islamist rebel was killed in clashes in Qalamun, al-Ahed news website reported the death of “at least 15 terrorists and the wounding of over 50.”

Eight military vehicles were also destroyed during fighting in Assal al-Ward and al-Jibbeh, according to al-Ahed.

Meanwhile, al-Nusra claimed in a video published Wednesday that is has seized control of the entire Qalamun town of Assal al-Ward.

Y.R.