Mon May 11, 2015 4:0PM

Syrian government forces drive on May 9, 2015 near Assal al-Ward, a small village located in the Qalamun region, after they seized control of several hilltops in the area with the support of Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement. © AFP

Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement and the Syrian government forces have managed to kill two key terror commanders in the Syrian border region of Qalamoun as fight against the Takfiri elements in the area gains new momentum.

Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV announced Monday that two leaders of the notorious al-Nusra terrorist group were killed in fresh clashes with Hezbollah and Syrian forces in the region.

The clashes erupted in al-Barouh, a strategic hill in Qalamoun located on the outskirts of Ras al-Maara. This came after Syrian forces backed by Hezbollah fighters liberated Jard al-Juba region earlier in the day.

The two commanders, identified in al-Manar report as Abu al-Shweikh and Abu Khaled, were among major leaders of Nusra, a terrorist Takfiri group affiliated with al-Qaeda which operates in some parts of Syria. The terrorist group has been one of the main instigators of armed militancy against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad over the past four years.

Hezbollah and Syrian army troops have wrestled full control of Barouh, but sporadic clashes still continue. Reports also confirm clashes near the town of al-Juba with militants still controlling some hilltops.

The advancement comes a day after Syrian forces killed at least 40 foreign-backed terrorists in the region and seized their armored vehicles and weapons .

Hezbollah and Syrian army began purging terrorists from Qalamoun last week and up to now, they have made considerable victories over the militants, driving them out of two major towns, including Assal al-Ward and Juba and several other posts.

The important gains in Qalamoun would enable the Syrian army to have better access to the nearby bases of the militants in the Lebanese border.

At least three Hezbollah fighters have also been killed in the battle for the extremely strategic area, which straddles Lebanon’s eastern border.

Hezbollah’s Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naeem Qassem said Tuesday that the resistance party was determined to purge Qalamoun of the Takfiri militants.

MS/NN/HRB

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Syrian Army Closes in on Takfiri Terrorists in Jisr Al-Shoghour

Local Editor

Dozens of Takfiri terrorists were killed and injured as the Syrian army closed in on them in Jisr al-Shoghour in a bid to free the Syrian soldiers who have been trapped by the insurgents.

Military source told al-Manar that the terrorists suffered heavy losses as the Syrian army took control of al-Mishrfeh, Tal Qintar and Tal Qartal areas which over look Jisr al-Shoghour in Idleb countryside.

“All axes leading to Jisr al-Shoghour city are now within the range of the army’s artillery following intensive operations against dens and gatherings of terrorist organizations,” the source said.

Syrian official news agency, SANA, confirmed the news saying scores of terrorists were killed and others were injured during the military operations on Jisr al-Shoghhour/al-Janoudieh axis and near the city’s national hospital.

It quoted a military source as saying that army units have encircled terrorist organizations in several areas near Jisr al-Shoghour.

The source said that the army operations brought about a dramatic collapse in the ranks of the terrorist organizations in the city due to the massive losses they sustained amid a state of confusion and buck-passing between Nusra front terrorists and other terrorist organizations.