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| Version 4 | Version 5 |
|---|---|
| Syria-Lebanon border battle against IS paused | Syria-Lebanon border battle against IS paused |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| A ceasefire has been declared in offensives against so-called Islamic State on the Syria-Lebanon border. | A ceasefire has been declared in offensives against so-called Islamic State on the Syria-Lebanon border. |
| The militants have been fighting the Lebanese army on one front, and Hezbollah with the Syrian army on the other. | The militants have been fighting the Lebanese army on one front, and Hezbollah with the Syrian army on the other. |
| Lebanese sources said IS had "succumbed under fire and asked for negotiations". | Lebanese sources said IS had "succumbed under fire and asked for negotiations". |
| Syrian state media, citing a military source, later reported that a deal had been reached to move IS militants in the area to eastern Syria. | Syrian state media, citing a military source, later reported that a deal had been reached to move IS militants in the area to eastern Syria. |
| "We agreed to a deal between Hezbollah and [IS] which will see the rest of its militants evacuated to the eastern region of the Syrian Arab Republic," Syrian state news agency Sana cited the source as saying. | "We agreed to a deal between Hezbollah and [IS] which will see the rest of its militants evacuated to the eastern region of the Syrian Arab Republic," Syrian state news agency Sana cited the source as saying. |
| The pause in operations on Sunday enabled negotiations to take place over nine soldiers taken hostage when IS jihadists overran the border town of Arsal in 2014, Lebanon's army said. | |
| Lebanese security chief Maj Gen Abbas Ibrahim later said that the soldiers had probably been killed, Reuters news agency reports. | |
| Gen Ibrahim said the Lebanese army had received the remains of six individuals and were "digging for two others" near the border with Syria. | |
| He added that DNA tests would be conducted to confirm their identities and that the search for a ninth body was ongoing. | |
| Some 30 soldiers and police had been captured in Arsal, of whom four were killed and a fifth died of his wounds. Sixteen were released in a prisoner swap in December 2015 with Islamist group Nusra Front. | |
| The twin offensives by the Lebanese army, and the Syrian army and its Lebanese militia ally Hezbollah, have advanced towards the border from opposite sides. | The twin offensives by the Lebanese army, and the Syrian army and its Lebanese militia ally Hezbollah, have advanced towards the border from opposite sides. |
| Lebanon's army has been fighting IS near Ras Baalbek, while the Syrian army and Hezbollah have attacked from Syria's west Qalamoun region. | Lebanon's army has been fighting IS near Ras Baalbek, while the Syrian army and Hezbollah have attacked from Syria's west Qalamoun region. |
| Both ceasefires came into effect on Sunday at 07:00 (04:00 GMT). | Both ceasefires came into effect on Sunday at 07:00 (04:00 GMT). |
| The Lebanese army insists it is not co-ordinating with Hezbollah, which the US classes as a terrorist group. Any such liaison would be politically sensitive in Lebanon, and could jeopardise US military aid it receives. | The Lebanese army insists it is not co-ordinating with Hezbollah, which the US classes as a terrorist group. Any such liaison would be politically sensitive in Lebanon, and could jeopardise US military aid it receives. |
| Last week, Lebanon and Hezbollah each announced they had made significant gains against IS militants, driving them back into a smaller part of the mountainous border enclave. | Last week, Lebanon and Hezbollah each announced they had made significant gains against IS militants, driving them back into a smaller part of the mountainous border enclave. |
| A question of appearances | A question of appearances |
| Rami Ruhayem, BBC News in Beirut | Rami Ruhayem, BBC News in Beirut |
| The Lebanese army's insistence that it is not co-ordinating with Hezbollah or the Syrian army flies in the face of recent developments. | The Lebanese army's insistence that it is not co-ordinating with Hezbollah or the Syrian army flies in the face of recent developments. |
| On the same day as the start of its operations in July, Hezbollah and the Syrian army announced their own offensive from the other side of the border. Between them, the two armies and Hezbollah have had the militants surrounded, and were able to quickly retake most of the territory they held. | On the same day as the start of its operations in July, Hezbollah and the Syrian army announced their own offensive from the other side of the border. Between them, the two armies and Hezbollah have had the militants surrounded, and were able to quickly retake most of the territory they held. |
| The ceasefire came into effect today at the same time on both sides of the border. And a few weeks before the battle, Hezbollah fought to clear an adjacent area from another group of militants, and handed over its positions to the Lebanese army. | The ceasefire came into effect today at the same time on both sides of the border. And a few weeks before the battle, Hezbollah fought to clear an adjacent area from another group of militants, and handed over its positions to the Lebanese army. |
| The official position appears designed to manage differences over Lebanon's relationship with the Syrian government, as well as the growing role of Hezbollah in the country. | The official position appears designed to manage differences over Lebanon's relationship with the Syrian government, as well as the growing role of Hezbollah in the country. |