DISPUTED HIGHLANDS IN SYRIA
Ever since the start of the country’s civil war, the Qalamoun Mountains in Syria have been brutally torn between several warring factions. Hezbollah and the Syrian regime army are on one side, with the al-Qaeda affiliated Nusra front and the newly formed Jaish al Fateh or Conquest army - incorporating Nusra and opposition fighters - on the other. A third faction, the infamous Self-proclaimed Islamic state of Iraq and al-Sham, is also fighting in the area.
The Qalamoun Mountains are situated in strategic position between Homs and Damascus, and separate the heart of the Syrian lands from the Lebanese border. The Syrian civil war has seen many such strategic areas reduced to ruins and pass between the regime and rebels.
ROUGH TERRAIN: QALAMOUN MOUNTAINS
The Qalamoun highlands are too mountainous for any news source to give exact estimates of the number of casualties during battles. As a result the media arms of the factions fighting in the area have always disputed over the number of deaths from each side and the borders of the areas they control. Most recently, Iranian backed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah announced victory in Qalamoun and said his group now has control of the highlands. However reports constantly emerge reporting the deaths of f Hezbollah fighters in opposition ambushes. Most recently in Jabal Thalaja, 10 Hezbollah fighters were reportedly killed including renowned troop leader Ghassan Fakih.
THE IMPORTANCE OF QALAMOUN
Hezbollah has always openly proclaimed its support for the Syrian regime. The group has backed the regime through sensitive and decisive battles in small mountainous towns in Qalamoun against opposition fighters. Most of the opposition fighters are local villagers who know the hills inside out. Therefore if Nasrallah’s claim to have captured the region is confirmed militants will be deterred from entering Lebanon using Qalamoun. This would mean Hezbollah has secured a route to transfer arms to the Syrian regime whenever they wish. The coming days will decide the fate of the district. Hundreds of fighters died on both sides during the previous battle of Qalamoun in December 2013, and more casualties are expected as both sides once again continue their struggle for control.
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