ISIS militants in areas north of Arsal's outskirts carried out an attack on Hezbollah positions Tuesday, but did not achieve any strategic victories according to the Lebanese group's media channel. According to Hezbollah-run Al-Manar TV, ISIS attacked Hezbollah fighters in the outskirts of al-Qaa and Ras Baalbek, two northeastern Lebanese border towns. The station said the attacks failed to bring about any gains for the notorious fundamentalist group, which controls most of the areas in question. Hezbollah has been battling jihadis on Lebanon's eastern borders for more than a month, after it launched along with the Syrian Army an offensive in the hills of Syria's Qalamoun. The allied forces have since achieved major field victories, taking 64 percent of the Qalamoun hills in less than 5 weeks, according to Al-Manar. Hezbollah also launched attacks on the Nusra Front in Arsal's outskirts earlier this month, and has since taken over key hilltops in the area. The TV station has reported that 90 percent of the Nusra Front's positions in Arsal's outskirts have been overtaken by Hezbollah fighters, who have now taken back 110 square kilometers in the area.
