Ex-Minister: Yabroud Battle Will Determine Future of Syria War

Former Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah described the recent battles between the Syrian army and the militants in Yabroud in the Damascus countryside a national battle which will determine the future of the war in the country.
“The Yabroud battle is a decisive battle that will make clear the path of the Syrian army’s other military moves,” Dakhlallah told FNA on Sunday.

He underlined that the war in Yarboud is important because the town provided a linking passage for the foreign-backed militants to Northern Lebanon and was the conduit of the arms shipments smuggled from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar into Syria.

Dakhlallah stressed that the military advance in Yabroud displays the growing victory of the Syrian army in its war on terrorism, and said, “This victory will play a decisive role in the future battles of the Syrian army against the militants.”

The Syrian army started cleaning operations in the strategic town of Yabroud earlier today. The army units regained control over Yabroud and then started operations to purge the town of snipers and defuse the bombs planted in there.

Meantime, thousands of the militants of the Al-Nusra Front fled towards the Lebanese borders after the Syrian army took control of the Yabroud town and killed tens of militants in heavy clashes.

Reports said the Army units have made significant progress in their operations in Yabroud, carrying out a series of swift special operations which resulted in the killing of a number of terrorists, mostly from the al-Nusra Front, and in destroying their weapons and equipment.

The Syrian army has now brought Yabroud under its full control and the militants are in a difficult situation because they have lost all their positions in the area.

The town is located near the Lebanese border and explosives used in fatal bomb attacks in Lebanon were reportedly smuggled from this town.