Army, militants clashes in Lebanon’s Tripoli kill 4

At least four people have lost their lives after clashes erupted between the Lebanese army and Syrian militants in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli.

The deadly Thursday clashes took place after the Lebanese military forces attacked an apartment in the village of Aasun in the Dinniyeh region of Tripoli, said the country’s security sources.

The operation was reportedly launched to capture a fugitive Lebanese soldier who has recently announced his defection from the army.

The Lebanese army also arrested two Takfiri militants accused of beheading captive Lebanese soldiers, the security sources added.

The al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front and the ISIL Takfiri militants overran the city of Arsal, situated 124 kilometers (77 miles) northeast of the capital, Beirut, in August, abducting more than three dozen soldiers and security forces. They have executed at least three of the hostages.

The Takfiri terrorists demand the release of a number of militants in Lebanese jails in exchange for the captive Lebanese soldiers and policemen.

Over the past months, Lebanon has been suffering from terrorist attacks by al-Qaeda-affiliated militants as well as random rocket attacks, which are viewed as a spillover of the conflict in Syria.

Syria has been gripped by deadly violence since 2011 with ISIL Takfiri terrorists currently controlling parts of it mostly in the east and north.