Hezbollah Kills 32 al-Qaeda Fighters in East Lebanon Ambush

Fighters Were From Syria-Based Jabhat al-Nusra

Lebanese security sources are reporting a major ambush over the weekend by Hezbollah against fighters loyal to al-Qaeda’s Jabhat al-Nusra, killing 32 of the Islamist fighters. One Hezbollah fighter was also killed.

The Shi’ite Hezbollah movement has been increasingly active in the Syrian Civil War, backing the government against Sunni Islamist rebels, including al-Nusra.

The incident this weekend reportedly happened on the outskirts of Nahle village, not far from Baalbek, and very close to the Lebanon-Syria border.

Nusra and other Islamist factions have been keen to hit Hezbollah targets inside Lebanon to punish them for “interfering” in the Syrian conflict, and the latest violence underscores how much the Syrian war really extends beyond the borders and is becoming regional.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.