Syrian Army, Hizbullah Engaged in Fierce Battles on Outskirts of Tufail

The Syrian army and Hizbullah fighters are locked in a fierce battle with Islamist gunmen to control the Lebanese eastern border village of Tufail, al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Saturday.

Security sources told the newspaper that the Syrian army, backed by Hizbullah, is advancing from the north on the outskirts of Tufail village.

Syrian warplanes reportedly shelled the largest factory for manufacturing booby-trapped vehicles, destroying five cars rigged with explosives.

The newspaper said that a cave that contains three tons of explosives was discovered and another factory for manufacturing rockets, bombs and cannons was controlled by the Syrian army.

Media reports said last week that the Syrian government had urged the residents of Tufail to evacuate it ahead of a planned shelling.

The troops have alleged that gunmen were in the area.

In April, 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.

H.K.

D.A.