BEIRUT, Lebanon — On Jan. 22, the Lebanese army opened a new chapter in the war against terrorism, thwarting an Islamic State (IS) attack against a guard post for the army’s second land border regiment in Tallet al-Hamra, in the lands beyond Ras Baalbek, in the east of Lebanon. This attack, the second in the same place in three months, ended with the army regaining control over the site after dozens of militants and eight soldiers were killed.
The site, located on the outskirts of the village of Ras Baalbek in the northern Bekaa, 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of the town of Baalbek, was reinforced with additional units arrived after it became apparent that the militants aimed to attack the Christian-majority villages there. The move was part of IS’ plan to take over the lands surrounding Arsal, connect them to the town of Arsal then to the rest of the Christian towns of the northern Bekaa, reaching Danniyeh and Akkar in the north.
