Hezbollah kills 46 militants at the Lebanese-Syrian border

Beirut, July 23 : Lebanon's Shiite Islamist movement Hezbollah on Sunday claimed it had killed 46 Sunni radicals during its offensive to liberate the northeastern region of Arsal, next to the Syrian border.

Hezbollah launched an offensive on Friday in Arsal -- a region located 120 km to the northeast of Beirut -- with the support of forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Efe news agency reported.

The Shiite group has captured Wadi Uwaini, which was a key bastion of Al Qaeda's former affiliate Jabhat Fateh al-Sham ("Front for the Conquest of the Levant"), and the top of Jabal Shaabat al-Qalaa mountain, in eastern Arsal.

On the other hand, Hezbollah said pro-Syrian government forces killed 23 extremists in the Qalamoun Mountains, on the Syrian side of the border.