Hezbollah and the Syrian army announced a ceasefire in their assault against Islamic State in Syria’s western Qalamoun region, Hezbollah’s al-Manar TV said. The fighting began a week ago when the Lebanese army, and Hezbollah together with the Syrian army, launched separate but simultaneous offensives against the Islamic State enclave straddling the border. The fate of nine soldiers that Islamic State took captive then remains unknown. In a speech last week, Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said the Iran-backed group had begun talks with Islamic State on a truce. He said that if the Lebanese state wanted to negotiate for Islamic State to evacuate its territory, the Syrian government would be ready to accept any formal request from Beirut.

Source: bd News24 August 27, 2017 08:48 UTC