False Reports of Assault on Brital amid Clashes in al-Zabadani

Reports circulated Sunday in the Bekaa about a militant assault on Hizbullah's posts in Brital's outskirts turned out to be untrue, following two days of deadly clashes between the Lebanese army and extremist groups in the nearby area of Ras Baalbek.

“The takfiris have waged an armed attack on Hizbullah's posts in Ain Saa in the mountainous outskirts of Brital and Baalbek,” state-run National News Agency reported, adding that the area was witnessing “fierce clashes with rocket-propelled grenades and artillery shells.”

However, Hizbullah's media department issued a statement denying that the group's posts in Brital had come under attack.

“The situation in the area is normal,” the statement said.

Several TV networks also denied the reports, noting that “the sounds of shelling that are being heard in central Bekaa are coming from the outskirts of Syria's al-Zabadani.”

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights had reported “barrel bomb raids by (Syrian) helicopters against areas in the city of al-Zabadani, amid shelling by the regime forces on several districts of the city.”

Eight Lebanese army troops were killed Friday and Saturday in fierce clashes with jihadist militants in the outskirts of the Bekaa border town of Ras Baalbek. Dozens of gunmen were killed and wounded in the fighting.

The army has since reinforced its positions and measures in the area.

The Ain Saa post mentioned by NNA had been briefly seized by extremist militants on October 5, following fierce clashes with Hizbullah, which eventually managed to repel the unprecedented militant assault.

The Syria-based militant groups are comprised of elements from the extremist al-Nusra Front and Islamic State groups and the rebel Free Syrian Army.

Y.R.