Hezbollah claims only 3 members killed in Qalamoun not 40

Hezbollah attacked some Lebanese media outlets on Friday for reporting that 40 of its members were killed in al-Qalamoun battle, according to a report by Hezbollah’s mouthpiece, Al Manar

In a statement released by the party’s Media Relations on Thursday, Hezbollah described such reports are baseless, noting that the true number of Hezbollah martyrs in the battle is three.

“ Reports claiming that the number of Hezbollah martyrs is 40 are totally false and baseless. The true number of Hezbollah martyrs in this battle is three…. And we have informed the honored families of these martyrs,” the statement added.

This comes after Alaraby Aljadeed reported Thursday that Hezbollah has lost dozens of troops in the fierce fighting along the western slopes of the Qalamoun Mountains.

“Total Hezbollah fatalities from three days of fighting have exceeded 40 fatalities,” media activist Abu Ahmad al-Qalamouni told the London-based daily.

“The party’s members were calling each other, yesterday, over the radio, to regroup and pull out the bodies.” The report added.

If Syrian president Bashar al Assad and Hezbollah lose control of the al-Qalamoun area, Damascus is more likely to fall to the Syrian Rebels. It will also cut off Assad’s Alawite region in northwest Syria from from Damascus too.

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah believes that if Assad falls, so will Hezbollah according to his most recent speech

A source close to the Iranian backed Hezbollah militant group told Reuters on Wednesday that Nasrallah has deployed 85% of his combat forces to fight in Syria, leaving only 5% of his forces on the border with Israel.

According to Lebanese media reports 1500 Hezbollah members have been killed since the party joined in the fighting in Syrian civil war, but Hezbollah has been consistently trying to report fewer numbers in order to avoid upsetting the Shiite community

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