Five Syrian Pro-Government Fighters Killed Near Damascus In Rare Cross-Border Attack

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Five fighters of the National Defense Forces (NDF) were killed overnight on May 31 near the Syrian capital, Damascus, when unidentified militants launched an attack from neighboring Lebanon.

The militants used assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades during the attack, which targeted an NDF post in the town of Hosh Arab, which is located 35 kilometers to the northeast of Damascus city and just five kilometers to the east of Lebanon’s border.

Syrian activists said that the attackers managed to withdraw to Lebanon’s territory. The victims, Adham Bakour, Hani Juma, Ibrahim Hamra, Abdul Rahman Juma and Muhannad Hamra, were all Hosh Arab locals. A sixth local, Hussein al-Baraki, survived the attack with moderate wounds.

This was the second attack to target the NDF in Hosh Arab in less than a month. On May 17, local NDF commander Mari Bartawi was shot and killed in the town by unidentified militants.

The recent attacks were likely launched from the nearest Lebanese town, Tfail. In the early years of the war in Syria, the town was a stronghold of the al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front, now known as Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, and ISIS. During the 2014 Qalamoun offensive, the Syrian Arab Army and Hezbollah attacked militants’ positions in Tafil. Soon after, the Lebanese military entered the town.

The attempts to disturb security around Damascus from Lebanon will likely be dealt with by Hezbollah and the Lebanese military, who maintain a strong presence along the border with Syria.

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