Qalamoun offensive (May–June 2015)
The Qalamoun offensive (May–June 2015) was an offensive led by the Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah,[2] supported by the Syrian Army, during the Syrian Civil War,[25][26][27] against the al-Nusra Front and other Syrian opposition forces entrenched in the mountains of the Qalamoun region.
The offensive[edit]
Prelude[edit]
Between 25 and 28 March 2015, the Syrian Army and Hezbollah captured two hills near the town of Flitah and several others in the Zabadani region. The fighting left 30 rebels dead. The Lebanese Army seized some positions on the outskirts of Arsal from jihadist fighters.[35][36] By 3 April, the Syrian military had advanced on three axes towards Zabadani, securing the western and eastern approaches to the city, and relatively paralyzing the defending rebels. Fifteen al-Nusra fighters attempting to reinforce the rebels in Zabadani were killed trying to breach the cordon.[37]
In mid-April, opposition forces captured a strategic hill overlooking Flita that had been held by Hezbollah fighters.[38] At this time, Hezbollah was preparing for a new offensive, considered to be a decisive battle for Qalamoun,[35] while the rebels were making efforts to unite different warring opposition groups in an effort to take control of the Qalamoun region.[38] However, ISIL and al-Nusra were still competing to win over communities in the Arsal area and the rebels in both Zabadani's mountains range and in the Anti-Lebanon Mountains switched from offense to defense. They were preparing trenches, tunnels, bunkers, and barricades, in anticipation of a possible battle in the spring.[37]
Strategic analysis[edit]
Sami Nader, a professor in politics at the University of Saint Joseph in Lebanon stated regarding Iranian and Hezbollah involvement in the offensive; "they are in desperate need for an achievement to counter balance their losses; they need to sell it to their constituents in order to justify the continuing battle and involvement in Syria" adding that "Qalamoun is more of a media campaign than a real battle on the ground".[107] Hezbollah media relations chief Mohammed Afif stated regarding the Qalamoun fighting "this was a media battle in the first regard", and for the first time Western Media outlets were invited to report on a Hezbollah offensive, including; CNN, BBC News, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal among others.[108]
Hezbollah analyst and author Nick Blanford stated that Hezbollah needed to show that "this is not our Vietnam, we are winning this war, we are defending the borders of Lebanon", concluding that Hezbollah alone was not enough to prop up the government any longer.[109] The Washington Institute for Near East Policy agreed with this assessment by stating that "even his [Assad's] most reliable Shiite allies may not be able to sustain him as the war's attrition increasingly highlights his demographic disadvantage".[26] In the opinion of Jeffrey White from WINEP, the Syrian Arab Army played a strictly supportive role in the fighting.[110]
Iran – Iranian foreign affairs adviser to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Ali Akbar Velayati, stated that "We are filled with pride and appreciation when we see that in recent days, the valiant Lebanese resistance (Hezbollah) has achieved great progress and excellent victories alongside the brave Syrian army," adding "We believe this will strengthen the , not just in Syria and Lebanon, but in the whole region".[111]
