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Lebanon: 20 Square Kms Separate Army from Defeating ISIS

Lebanese troops battling militants near the Syrian border on the second day of clashes with ISIS. (AFP)
Lebanese troops battling militants near the Syrian border on the second day of clashes with ISIS. (AFP)
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Lebanon: 20 Square Kms Separate Army from Defeating ISIS

Lebanese troops battling militants near the Syrian border on the second day of clashes with ISIS. (AFP)
Lebanese troops battling militants near the Syrian border on the second day of clashes with ISIS. (AFP)

The Lebanese army announced on Tuesday that its forces have captured most of the 120 square kms held by ISIS on the eastern borders of the country, only four days after launching their battle against the terrorist militants.

“We have captured around another 20 square km, so we have about another 20 to go,” General Ali Qanso said Tuesday during a press conference held at the Defense Ministry.

On Tuesday, the army announced it was launching the third stage of their “Fajr al-Jurud” operation against ISIS, after focusing their efforts Monday on removing mines and booby traps from the roads, so that armored vehicles may advance.

One soldier was killed on Tuesday and four others were injured while dismantling explosives left behind by the extremists.

Qanso said that four Lebanese soldiers were killed since the army launched its operation against ISIS on Saturday.

He stated that all the terrorists' posts have been demolished and other militants have fled the area.

"Nine posts have been destroyed, and weapons, munitions and explosives have been seized," he added.

"Our units are getting ready to carry on the operation, while taking into consideration international humanitarian law," Qanso stressed.

Meanwhile, the Syrian army and “Hezbollah” continued advancing from the Syrian side of Qalamoun, announcing the capture of two strategic hills and seizing a quantity of weapons.

Retired Army General Mohammed Rammal told Asahrq Al-Awsat that the third phase of the military operation against ISIS was decisive.

“When the range of the battle lessens, the effect of the heavy weapons becomes limited, and therefore it would be essential to rely on artillery shelling to paralyze the militants’ power of resistance,” he explained.

For his part, Riyad Qahwaji, CEO of the Dubai-based Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis (INEGMA), told Asharq Al-Awsat that ISIS militants would continue fighting till death after it became difficult for them to retreat.

He predicted that the operation against ISIS launched from the Lebanese side would be complete before the end of this week.

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Yemeni Forces Raid Migrant Smuggling Sites

Authorities raid smuggling hubs after the death of 92 illegal migrants. (Government media)
Authorities raid smuggling hubs after the death of 92 illegal migrants. (Government media)
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Yemeni Forces Raid Migrant Smuggling Sites

Authorities raid smuggling hubs after the death of 92 illegal migrants. (Government media)
Authorities raid smuggling hubs after the death of 92 illegal migrants. (Government media)

Dozens of African migrants escaped death off Yemen’s southern coast when their boat broke down at sea, as government forces raided smuggling sites in Abyan province a day after another shipwreck killed 92 people.

Government sources said Yemeni fishermen rescued 250 migrants from the Horn of Africa, nearly half of them women and most of them Ethiopian, after their vessel was stranded for several days in the Gulf of Aden without food or water. Seven people died before the survivors reached Shabwa province, east of Aden.

Authorities provided first aid to the migrants on arrival in Rudum district, which has become a key landing point after tighter patrols along the western Lahj coast, said the sources.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said the group endured a week-long voyage from Somalia after their boat’s engine failed 100 nautical miles from shore. The trip, meant to last 24 hours, stretched to seven days, relying on wind and paddling.

“These people went through a week of hell at sea, facing exploitation, fear and trauma,” said Abdusattor Esoev, IOM’s head of mission in Yemen. He urged greater humanitarian action to save lives, step up search and rescue, tackle the drivers of irregular migration and protect vulnerable travelers.

The rescue came as Abyan’s security forces said they raided several coastal sites used by smugglers to shelter incoming migrants, following last week’s disaster off the province’s coast in which 92 people drowned and 23 were saved from a boat carrying about 200 passengers. The rest remain missing.

The operation targeted areas in Shaqra port, including Tamhan, al-Kasara and al-Hajla, as well as a site on Ahwar’s coast, under the supervision of provincial police chief Ali Nasser Bouzeid. He called for regional and international coordination to curb what he described as a security and humanitarian threat.

Bouzeid warned against aiding smugglers, saying several armed men had already been arrested for protecting migrant compounds.

In the Lawdar district, security forces said they detained a “dangerous gang” involved in smuggling African migrants after a firefight in which the suspects threw grenades at police before being captured. Three vehicles were seized, and the detainees will face legal action, the statement added.

The IOM said the latest shipwreck highlights the urgent need to address the dangers along the eastern migration route linking the Horn of Africa to Yemen. It called for prioritizing life-saving aid, expanding safe migration channels and improving coordinated search and rescue.

The agency praised Abyan authorities’ quick response and pledged to support joint efforts to identify survivors, recover bodies and assist affected families.

More than 350 migrants have died or gone missing along the eastern route since the start of the year, the IOM said, warning the real toll is likely far higher.

Every life lost is a stark reminder of the human cost of irregular migration, the agency said, renewing calls for stronger protection systems, effective rescue operations and accountability for smugglers and traffickers.