Conflict Incident Report

For the second week in a row, militants belonging to Daesh (ISIS) attempted overnight Saturday to wrest control of positions held by Jabhat Fatah al-Sham – previously known as the Al-Qaeda-linked Nusra Front – and Saraya Ahl al-Sham in the outskirts of the northeastern town of Arsal.

Saraya Ahl al-Sham is a Qalamoun-based group made up of remnants from the Free Syrian Army. A source from Saraya Ahl al-Sham told The Daily Star that Daesh launched an attack on positions controlled by the group and Jabhat Fatah al-Sham in Wadi Ajram at around 1 a.m. Sunday morning. “The attack was launched from the Ajram side by Daesh – they wanted to control the area,” the source said. “And in this area there are positions held by Saraya Ahl al-Sham and Jabhat Fatah al-Sham. Suicide bombers from Daesh [tried to] reach these positions ... but we resisted them.”

The source said that they managed to kill three Daesh militants. A video reportedly of the latest clashes circulated on Lebanese media outlets but had been obtained by The Daily Star days prior to the most recent fighting. Although it isn’t possible to authenticate when and where the video was shot, the timing indicates that it does not depict the most recent incident. The state-run National News Agency reported that the Army’s artillery pounded militants holed up in the outskirts of Arsal and Ras Baalbeck. The Hezbollah-affiliated War Media Center said via Twitter that the Army had pounded a group of Daesh militants in order to keep them at bay as they attempted to infiltrate Syrian refugee camps in Wadi Hmayed. The WMC also reported that clashes between Daesh and other groups were taking place on the outskirts of Syria’s Flita after the group attacked positions in the area, leaving two dead. According to the WMC, Saraya Ahl al-Sham thwarted an attempt by Daesh militants to sneak into the former’s positions on the outskirts of Arsal, leading to deaths and injuries.

Militant groups in the area have clashed on numerous previous occasions over territory and control. Heavy clashes erupted last Saturday between the rival militant groups. Fighters belonging to Daesh and Jabhat Fatah al-Sham briefly overran Arsal in August 2014, taking over 30 soldiers and police officers hostage. Nine soldiers are still believed to be held captive by the terrorist group.