The long-awaited battle for the Al-Zabadani District of the Rif Dimashq Governorate has begun and the militants from the Syrian Al-Qaeda group “Jabhat Al-Nusra” and Harakat Ahrar Al-Sham could not be any less prepared for this large-scale assault that features the prestigious 4th Mechanized Division of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and the Lebanese resistance force “Hezbollah.”
This large-scale offensive began at 3 A.M. (Damascus Time) on Friday, when Hezbollah and the 4th Mechanized Division stormed Tal Al-Malta and the Shalaah Checkpoint at the East Hills of Al-Zabadani, resulting in their subsequent advance across 10 square kilometers of mountainous terrain before the Syrian Arab Air Force (SAAF) conducted a number of airstrikes at this resort city on the border of Lebanon.