Army, Militants Clash in Ras Baalbek and Arsal Outskirts
The Lebanese army and militants clashed on the outskirts of the northeastern village of Ras Baalbek overnight as troops targeted fighters in the areas surrounding the town of Arsal, the state-run National News Agency reported on Tuesday.
NNA reported shooting incidents and skirmishes between armed groups and the military's bases in the area of Tallet al-Hamra that lies in Ras Baalbek's outskirts.
Later on Tuesday, the army shelled the positions of gunmen on the eastern outskirts of Arsal in the Wadi al-Oueini, Wadi al-Khail, Khirbet Daoud, al-Ajram, and Mkharmieh regions.
Last month, eight soldiers were killed in the same area in a battle between troops and Syria-based fighters from the Islamic State group.
The cross-border attack was the most serious since IS and al-Nusra Front militants seized Lebanese soldiers and policemen in a raid in Arsal in August 2014.
NNA also said Tuesday that the army targeted suspicious movements of gunmen in the areas of Wadi Hmeid and al-Mesyada on Arsal's outskirts.
The clashes came as al-Joumhouria daily quoted a high-ranking military official as saying that the army is thwarting daily infiltration attempts in Arsal.
The militants “are incapable of violating the strong measures” taken by the army, said the source.
The official added that “the military has consolidated the Ras Baalbek front, making it impossible for terrorists to find any road to reach it.”
G.K.
H.K.
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