Hizbullah, Syrian Army Incursion Compels Residents of Tufail to Leave Homes
The residents of the town of Tufail were forced to leave their village after an infiltration by the Syrian army and Hizbullah fighters that was accompanied by air raids.
According to al-Mustaqbal newspaper published on Monday, the residents of Tufail, which lies in eastern Lebanon in an area surrounded by Syrian territory, informed Lebanese authorities that the town has been under attack for the past two days.
Higher Relief Council acting chief General Mohammed Kheir told the newspaper that around 50 Lebanese families left their homes in Tufail on Sunday and headed to the town of Arsal, while only eight families stayed there.
He pointed out that 60 Syrian families also left the Lebanese village and headed to several areas, in particular, the border town of Arsal.
In April, the village of Tufail was isolated after the only road that leads to the town came under the control of Syrian government troops.
The town is located at the end of the eastern mountain belt's plains, in an area that is 24 kilometers inside Syrian territories. Tufail is surrounded by Syrian lands to its north, east and south, and by the Lebanese villages of Ham, Maarboun and Brital to its west.
More than 4,000 Lebanese nationals reside in Tufail, Christians and Muslims, among them there are around 25 soldiers in the army and some 5,000 Syrian refugees.
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