The Syrian Army, on Monday, finally drove out US-backed foreign Islamist militants from the ancient town

of Maaloula located near the Lebanese border Two nearby hamlets were also ca!tured thus cutting off the "non-lethal# US su!!lies to the foreign militants $on-lethal su!!lies are small arms and some household chemicals minus any heavy military e%ui!ment such as the very deadly &riffin, 'avelin, or Stinger missiles Maaloula was harshly attacked by US-backed militants from (atar, )uwait, Saudi Arabia and other nations in *ecember and more than a do+en !eo!le were kidna!!ed The Army failed to com!letely secure the town as the militants were holed u! in nearby villages and on the mountainside surrounding Maaloula ,ut a recent string of notable army victories near the Lebanese border !ut a most telling s%uee+e on the US-backed militants as their bullets and ammunition -ust could not be am!ly su!!lied Israeli forces tried to hel! by e.ecuting some recent air attacks on !ro-Syrian !ositions in Lebanon but to no avail The USbacked militants were kicked out and forced to flee across the border to save their skins Maaloula is now free and liberated