Two ISIS commanders and 7 other militants were allegedly killed during two separate Hezbollah attacks on the outskirts of a northeastern Lebanese border town Friday, Al-Manar reported.
The Hezbollah-run TV station said that ISIS commander Abu Aisha al-Libi and six other terrorists were killed when the party targeted a militant “meeting” on the outskirts of Arsal.
The aim of the gathering, which took place in an area identified as Khirbet Hamam, was to plan a terrorist offensive on the outskirts of the east Lebanon city of Baalbek, according to Al-Manar.
The party also destroyed two militants convoys in the same area, the report added.
The attack led to the killing of another ISIS commander, identified as Abu Akrama al-Zouhouri, and another militant identified as Ahmad Abed al-Mohsen.
The party has intensified its attacks on ISIS east of Ras Baalbek after it repelled a militant attack last week, sparking a battle that killed eight Hezbollah fighters and around 50 ISIS militants. It was the most serious border confrontation between the two sides since Hezbollah entered the fighting in Syria three years ago.
On Tuesday, Al-Manar said that ISIS’ “emir” for the Qalamoun region Abu Balqis al-Baghdadi was killed in shelling on the eastern outskirts of Arsal, about 7 kilometers south of Ras Baalbek, in the area of Wadi Hmayed.
Hezbollah and the Syrian army have been battling ISIS and Nusra Front fighters in the Qalamoun region along Lebanon’s eastern border with Syria since early last month.
The allied forces have captured about two-thirds of the rugged border region from the militants since launching the offensive on May 4. Militants are now mostly holed up in northern Qalamoun, on the eastern outskirts of Arsal and Ras Baalbek.
Hezbollah chief Hasan Nasrallah vowed last week to oust ISIS from northeastern Lebanon.
