The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) – in cooperation with the National Defense Forces (NDF) and Hezbollah (Party of God) – has captured the strategic border crossing into east Lebanon at Al-Kafeer; this village is located in the northern part of the Al-Zabadani District of the Rif Dimashq Governorate.
The loyalist forces were able to secure control of Al-Kafeer after almost 2 weeks of intense firefights with the militant groups “Liwaa Suqour Al-Zabadani” (Falcons of Zabadani Brigades) and the Al-Qaeda linked Al-Nusra Front (Jabhat Al-Nusra).
According to a military source, the militant groups withdrew from Al-Kafeer after sustaining high casualties during the battle and experiencing fierce resistance from the Lebanese Armed Forces at the ‘Arsaal District. The Lebanese Army conducted a number of raids in ‘Arsaal over the last 48 hours and this has inevitably led to the Al-Nusra Front militants to concentrate their reinforcements near their supply routes in Lebanon.
On the Sweida-Damascus Highway, the Syrian Arab Army laid a successful ambush on a large Al-Nusra Front contingent earlier this afternoon, resulting in the death of over 25 militants and the capture of a dozen more enemy combatants.