BEIRUT: The military announced a cease-fire Sunday and a halt in its offensive against IS along its northeastern border with Syria, paving the ground for negotiations to decide the fate of Lebanese soldiers held hostage by the terror group.
“A cease-fire came into effect today at 7 a.m. [1000 GMT], and that is to make way for the last phase of negotiations on the fate of kidnapped soldiers,” the army command said in a statement.
Nine days back, the Lebanese army had launched an offensive to dislodge IS terrorists from a mountainous area near the Syria border.
Coinciding with the military operation, Lebanese group Hezbollah also announced that its fighters, along with Syrian regime forces, had begun an onslaught to recapture the outskirts of Qalamoun from IS in western Syria.
Source: News Now/ thepeninsulaqatar.com
