Lebanon begins mediated talks with Daesh over fate of captive soldiers

The Lebanese army on Sunday began mediated talks with Daesh after a ceasefire it had declared at the country's northeast border with Syria took effect, a security source said.

The ceasefire started at 7:00 am (0400 GMT) to allow for negotiations over the fate of nine Lebanese soldiers who have been in Daesh captivity since 2014, the army said.

Northeast Lebanon saw one of the worst spillovers of Syria’s war in 2014 when Daesh briefly overran the border town of Arsal. 

The fighting began a week ago when the Lebanese army, and Hezbollah together with the Syrian regime forces, launched separate but simultaneous offensives against the Daesh enclave straddling the border region.

Lebanon's Hezbollah and the Syrian regime had declared a pause in their assault against Daesh, in Syria's west Qalamoun region, Hezbollah's al-Manar TV said.

Under the ceasefire, Hezbollah members have entered an area of west Qalamoun to confirm that Lebanese soldiers held by Daesh are buried there, the source said.

In a speech last week, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said the Iran-backed group had begun talks with Daesh on a truce.

He said that if the Lebanese state wanted to negotiate for Daesh to evacuate its territory, the Syrian regime would be ready to accept any formal request from Beirut.

Shia militant group Hezbollah is a close ally of Bashar al Assad's regime. The group fights alongside the Syrian regime army in major battles. 

Washington classifies Hezbollah as a terrorist group.

Any coordination between the Lebanese army and either the Syrian regime army or Hezbollah would be politically sensitive in Lebanon and could jeopardise the sizeable US military aid the country receives.

The Lebanese army has said it is not coordinating its attack with Hezbollah or the Syrian army.