Summary
The Lebanese Army secured a bittersweet victory Sunday as it poised to expel Daesh (ISIS) from Lebanon amid confirmation that nine soldiers that had been held hostage by militants are dead.
The nine Army soldiers were taken hostage when Daesh, and what at the time was known as the Al-Qaeda affiliated Nusra Front, overran Arsal in 2014 .
An Army statement confirmed that the eight bodies that had been found on the outskirts of Arsal on the Lebanese side of the border belonged to the missing soldiers.
Around 30 Internal Security Forces and Army servicemen had been taken hostage by the militants when they overran Arsal.
Hezbollah and the Syrian army also combatted Daesh positions in the western Qalamoun on the Syrian side of the border, yet there was no coordination between the Army, Hezbollah and the Syrian army. More than 100 Daesh militants have handed themselves over Hezbollah.
The Army was able to secure quick gains and a rapid advance on the roughly 140 kilometers of Daesh-held Lebanese territory.
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