DAMASCUS, July 23 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian army and the Lebanese Hezbollah group have defeated the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front in the mountainous Qalamoun region near the Lebanese-Syrian border, activists and military sources told Xinhua.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor group said Sunday sounds of gunfire are still being heard in the barrens of the western Qalamoun region, northwest of Damascus adjacent to the Lebanese border, as the Syrian forces and Hezbollah were combing the area of Fleita barrens.
After completing the combing process in search of militants, the Syrian army will retake all the regions in western Qalamoun, said the observatory.
This progress ends the presence of the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front in all of the northwestern countryside of Damascus, as the Nusra militants used to smuggle weapons and explosives to both countries through the barren areas.
The Syrian army and Hezbollah launched a double battle Friday on both sides of the Syrian-Lebanese border against the Nusra Front.
The Syrian air force has also played a significant role in backing up the ground forces.
