Nasrallah: Any settlement with ISIS will include the revealing of abducted troops fate

Secretary General of Hezbollah Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah delivered on Thursday a televised speech tackling various local and regional developments.

Nasrallah started his speech by stressing the importance of Hezbollah's battle against ISIS militants on the Syrian side of the Lebanese border.

He also hailed the Lebanese army efforts in its battle against terrorists in the border towns of Ras Baalbek and al-Qaa.

During his speech, Hezbollah leader noted that there is no timeline for the operation’s end, adding that decision makers are the ones who decide when the operation ends.

He also confirmed that negotiations are ongoing with ISIS militants, adding that any settlement will be contingent to include the revealing of the fate of the kidnaped Lebanese troops.

Syrian government forces and Hezbollah are trying to oust Islamic State militants from the western Qalamoun region of Syria on Lebanon's border.

The offensive began on Saturday, coinciding with a Lebanese army campaign on Lebanon's side of the border to drive Islamic State from the Ras Baalbek area in the country's northeast.

Both the pro-Assad military alliance and the Lebanese army have advanced towards the Syrian-Lebanese border from their respective sides. The Lebanese army has said it is not coordinating the assault with Hezbollah or the Syrian army.

Earlier this month, dozens of Nusra Front militants and thousands of Syrian refugees were transferred from Lebanon into rebel-held Syria in a deal negotiated between Hezbollah, the Syrian government and Nusra Front.

Hezbollah has provided critical military support to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during Syria's six-year-long war.

Its involvement in Syria is a cause of political tension in Lebanon and has strained Lebanon's policy of "dissociation" from regional conflicts.

Northeastern Lebanon was the scene of one of the worst spillovers of Syria's war into Lebanon in 2014, when Islamic State and Nusra Front militants attacked the town of Arsal.

Lebanese troops were kidnapped by IS militants during this attack and are still in their captivity with no words on their fate.

 

LBCI/REUTERS