Most pro-Syrian forces fighting ISIS in E. Syria are Hizballah: DEBKA sources

DEBKAfile's military sources report exclusively on Thursday that Hizballah troops account for the majority of the pro-Syrian forces fighting in southeastern Syria during the last week, especially in the area of Deir ez-Zour. The Hizballah forces have run into strong resistance from ISIS forces and have not been able to defeat them.
Unlike the battles along the Syria-Lebanon border two weeks ago, where Hizballah and the Lebanese army faced scattered forces of ISIS and the Nusra Front, Hizballah now faces the main ISIS army arrayed in the Syrian desert and the Euphrates Valley, and has so far failed to break through or defeat it. That is why the Russian command in Syria decided on Thursday to attack ISIS positions with cruise missiles in an attempt to assist the Hizballah forces.