Cease-Fire Collapses in Zabadani
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A truce in Zabadani between the Syrian army, backed by Hezbollah, and militants ended following the renewal of clashes and shelling targeting the border town, activists said.
Fighting also resumed in the Syrian Shiite villages of Foua and Kefreya located in Idlib province, which were also covered by the agreed halt in fighting, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Reuters reported.
The cease-fire had been extended from two to three days Thursday after the warring sides agreed to evacuate the wounded.
Zabadani has been under attack by the Syrian army and Hezbollah since last month, while Kefraya and Foua have been besieged by Syrian militants.
The Syrian army and Hezbollah on one side and extremists on the other were negotiating for the withdrawal of militants from Zabadani to Idlib, which is mainly under the armed opposition control.
In return, civilians wishing to leave Kefraya and Foua would be allowed to do so and food supplies would enter both villages.
Hezbollah and the Syrian army’s offensive in Zabadani is largely considered an attempt by the two allies to bolster their control of land routes between Lebanon and Syria and cut militants' supply lines.
Zabadani is located 50 kilometers northwest of Damascus and 12 kilometers northeast of Lebanon’s Masnaa border crossing.
