Army Dismantles Bomb on Outskirts of Arsal

The Lebanese army defused on Wednesday around 25 kilograms of explosives on the outskirts of the eastern town of Arsal.

“A patrol for the intelligence unit located overnight a 25 kg bomb in the area of Ras al-Sarj placed on the road used by army units to reach Wadi al-Raayan,” the military said in a communique.

A military expert arrived at the scene to disable the bomb, the statement said.

The army called on citizens to report to the nearest military station any suspicious item.

Media reports said that the bomb was located in a bin.

The army had deployed heavily in Arsal and several explosive-rigged vehicles and bombs were found in the area, which is witnessing massive shelling by the military on posts controlled by Islamist militants.

Lebanon became ensnared in the complex conflict of the near four-year war in Syria after militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and the al-Qaida-affiliate al-Nusra Front engaged in a bloody fighting with the Lebanese army in August and took with them hostages from the military and police.

The jihadists remain entrenched on the outskirts of Arsal on the porous Syrian-Lebanese border.

The mountainous area has long been a smuggling haven, with multiple routes into Syria that have been used to transport weapons and fighters.

H.K.

M.T.