Aug 12, 2014

Even though the fuss of the battles in Arsal is, to some extent, far from the Syrian region of Qalamoun, people are concerned and fear the return of the militants to the fronts, especially with the change of circumstances and the Islamic State (IS) becoming stronger than ever. The road between Damascus and Homs, where the cities and villages of Qalamoun are situated, seems remarkably quiet. Only a couple of checkpoints and the ruins of the battles from last winter and spring remain. The villages of an-Nabek, Deir Atiyah, Qarah, al-Hamirah, Jarjeer and even Yabrud are relatively calm, with strict security measures at their entrances, especially in Yabrud where, despite the return of its residents, concerns are still rising since it is the closest to Arsal.

Perhaps the recent battles in the bordering village have made an impression on the Syrian mountains. Even though the clashes were far from reaching Qalamoun, a state of anticipation reigned a few days ago.

According to local sources, shops closed and a sort of night curfew was established in different villages amid a security spread. This indicates the anticipation of the battles’ aftermath, especially since Jabhat al-Nusra and IS militants moved to the rugged mountains between Lebanon and Syria.

These concerns have two main factors: the first is the fact that the factions are sorting their cards and the second is the change of the power balance within the armed groups, in favor of IS. This is how the armed groups recently adopted rapid operations, such as in Assal al-Ward and Rankous. It has become impossible for them to adopt the strategy of controlling cities, especially after their recent major losses, specifically in Yabrud, and after the successive fall of the cities of Ras Maara, Vlaith, Maaloula and, finally, Rankous.

It's interesting to note the formation of the Qalamoun army, including several brigades from the Free Syrian Army, such as the division of the martyr Ahmad Wahid Turkman, the division of Islam Hawks, Saraya al-Khandaq and the Meqqa brigade.