Islamic State (ISIS) has published a new edition of the propaganda booklet Dabiq, which is again signaling its primary enemy – Christianity. On the cover page of the booklet is a photo of the Vatican bearing the ISIS flag, along with the terror group’s desires to conquer Rome and "break the cross." According to […]
Beirut, Lebanon — As the first rains of the approaching winter lash the rugged mountains along Lebanon’s eastern border with Syria, Lebanese officials fret that militants belonging to the self-described Islamic State and allied factions could be preparing to break out of their isolated mountain strongholds, threatening populated areas.
In response, the United States is speeding the delivery of ammunition to the Lebanese Army, while Hezbollah, which also is fighting the Sunni IS and other groups, is making small arms available to its local Shiite supporters.
In recent days, the Lebanese Army, which is heavily deployed around the key town of Arsal in the northeast Bekaa Valley, has thwarted several apparent probes by militants seeking to reach the town for resupply. And 20 miles south of Arsal, militants from Al Qaeda-linked Jabhat al-Nusra, last week briefly attacked and overran a mountain-top outpost manned by fighters from the Iran-backed Hezbollah, killing several Shiite fighters.
Further south still, near the border village of Shebaa at the junction of the Lebanon-Israel and Syrian frontiers, Lebanese troops have reinforced their positions against potential infiltrations by Jabhat al-Nusra, which has seized territory in adjacent Syria.