Ceasefire deal reached on Lebanon-Syria border

BEIRUT — A ceasefire deal has been reached that will see extremist fighters withdraw from the Syria-Lebanon border, a top Lebanese official said on Thursday after a week-long operation there by the Hizbollah movement.

The powerful Shiite militant group began the assault on fighters from Al Qaeda's former Syrian affiliate, previously known as the Al Nusra Front, in the Jurud Arsal border region last week.

Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said on Wednesday his fighters had surrounding remaining militants in a small pocket of territory and negotiations were under way for their withdrawal.

On Thursday afternoon, the head of Lebanon's General Security agency Major General Ibrahim Abbas confirmed the deal, under which the militants will withdraw to the Syrian province of Idlib.

"There is a ceasefire in place and the armed men and those civilians who wish to do so will go to Idlib in an organised fashion, under the supervision of the Lebanese state," he told reporters.

He said Lebanon's Red Cross would help organise the logistics of transporting the evacuees to Idlib and the deal would be implemented "within days".

Other parts of the deal remained secret, but some Lebanese media outlets reported that Hizbollah fighters held by extremists would be freed.

Earlier, Hizbollah's "War Media" outlet and Lebanon's official National News Agency both reported that a ceasefire went into effect in Jurud Arsal at 6:00am (0300 GMT).

Hizbollah says the militants it has been fighting in the border region are from the Al Nusra Front, which last year rebranded itself the Fateh Al Sham Front after renouncing its status as Al Qaeda's Syrian affiliate.

On Wednesday, Hizbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah said his fighters were on the cusp of "a great military victory", and had surrounded remaining Al Nusra fighters in a small pocket of territory.

He said "serious" negotiations were under way to secure the withdrawal of Al Nusra militants.

"There are two paths: the battlefield and the negotiations. Both are open," he said.

Security in Jurud Arsal has long been a source of concern.

The barren, mountainous border area has served as a hideout for militants, who in 2014 clashed with Lebanese security forces.

Tens of thousands of Syrian refugees live in the town of Arsal, adjacent to the border region, while an unknown number are also thought to have taken shelter in the surrounding mountains.

Lebanon's army has not officially declared its participation in the Hizbollah operation, but has shelled "terrorists" in the area.

It has also been involved in operations to transport civilians out of the battle zone and into the town of Arsal.

In his speech on Wednesday, Nasrallah said his fighters were willing to hand the territory they have secured to Lebanese troops.

But the group's fighters told journalists in Jurud Arsal on Wednesday that another phase of the battle to secure the region was still ahead.

They said the Daesh terror group still hold parts of Jurud Arsal and the area around two border towns, but anticipated an easy victory.

"It won't be a difficult task. Its fighters are only a few hundred and spread out in this vast territory," one commander said.