Shiite and Sunni Muslim terrorist groups Hezbollah and al Qaeda have been fighting a five-day battle on Syria’s border with Lebanon.
“We saw them trying to sneak in,” a member of the al Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front said of Hezbollah’s attempts to enter Lebanon through Syria’s Qalamoun Mountains, Reuters reported Thursday. “We waited for them, and when they arrived, and before they were able to load their guns or rocket-propelled grenades, we attacked. Some of them escaped.”
A source with Hezbollah confirmed to the news service that there had been a battle, adding that the group had lost three fighters.
Syria’s civil war, now in its fourth year, has pitted Sunni Muslim groups — backed by countries like Saudi Arabia and Qatar — against Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime, Reuters reported. Iran, which is Shiite, has provided support to Assad’s forces throughout the conflict.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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