BEIRU (Sputnik) — The Lebanese army is advancing along the border with Syria after liberating the area from Daesh terrorist group, a local source told Sputnik on Tuesday.
"The [Lebanese] army is gaining a foothold near the Mortabia border crossing and on the Halim hills on the Lebanese territory bordering Syria. The Syrian army and fighters of the resistance [Hezbollah] have dug in at the zero point on the border [in Syrian territory]," the source said.
The announcement comes a day after the Syrian army and Hezbollah Shiite fighters completely freed the Syrian mountainous region of western Qalamoun on the border with Lebanon from Daesh.
The Syrian Air Force has conducted strikes on Daesh targets near its border with Lebanon. The operation resulted in significant advance of Lebanese and Syrian troops in the region and severe losses of Daesh.
On Sunday, the Lebanese army and Hezbollah declared a ceasefire to hold negotiations with Daesh terrorists. The terrorists agreed to return the remains of eight Lebanese soldiers abducted in 2014, as well as the bodies of Shiite militia fighters. In return, the Syrian side agreed to allow the evacuation of Daesh terrorists to Abu-Kamal city in the country's northeastern Deir ez-Zor province. Both Lebanese military and Hezbollah claimed that the militant evacuation indicated their surrender.
