Syrian Army and Hezbollah Advance to Al-Zabadani’s Downtown

Finally, after 34 straight days of intense fighting in the resort-city of Al-Zabadani, the Syrian Arab Army’s 63rd Brigade of the prestigious 4th Mechanized Division, the National Defense Forces (NDF) and Hezbollah have reached its downtown, leaving the militants of Harakat Ahrar Al-Sham and the Syrian Al-Qaeda group “Jabhat Al-Nusra” without any outlet for retreat.

On Friday morning, the Syrian Armed Forces and the Lebanese Resistance broke-through Jabhat Al-Nusra and Harakat Ahrar Al-Sham’s frontline defenses at Jamal ‘Abdel-Nasser Street, resulting in their eventual advance to the strategically located “Al-Zabadani Bus Station” that sits at the eastern sector of the city’s downtown.

The firefights were intense at the Al-Zabadani Bus Station, as the Syrian Armed Forces and Hezbollah surrounded this site and entrenched themselves around the nearby villas, creating a first and second line for their siege.

Following their success at the Bus Station, Hezbollah and the Syrian Armed Forces destroyed a Harakat Ahrar Al-Sham Command and Control Center near the Al-Zabadani Bridge that was responsible for all of the aforementioned Islamist group’s communication with their armed combatants on the ground in Al-Zabadani.

In addition to their success in east Al-Zabadani, Hezbollah and the Syrian Armed Forces recaptured a number of vital building blocks on Bardeh Street; this resulted in Jabhat Al-Nusra and Harakat Ahrar Al-Sham’s withdrawal towards the Hikmat District.

According to a military source in Damascus, the following militants from Harakat Ahrar Al-Sham and Jabhat Al-Nusra were killed on Friday: Fawaz Khareitah, Hassan Al-Zarourah, Ramiz Zaghbah, Hassan ‘Arsali, Mahmoud Sab’iyyi, “Abu Kanaan Al-Leebi” (Libyan, and “Abu Ahmad Ziad Nasayf.”