Four soldiers injured in northeastern Lebanon ambush

At least four Lebanese soldiers have been injured in clashes between army forces and gunmen in the country’s northeast.

The incident took place on Wednesday, after Takfiri militants ambushed an army unit near Lebanon’s northeastern border town of Arsal.

The Lebanese army confirmed the attack in a statement, saying that an “army patrol in the al-Rahuweh-Arsal area was fired upon in an ambush by an armed group in hills surrounding the area.”

“The members of the patrol returned fire…and army forces are continuing to engage the militants and pursue them in the area,” the statement added.

Earlier this week, the Lebanese army detained a group of foreign-backed militants in the same area.

Arsal, situated near the Syrian border, has been a stronghold of militants escaping from the neighboring Arab country.

Hundreds of foreign-sponsored militants have reportedly infiltrated into the Lebanese territory following defeat in the battle against the Syrian army in the Lebanon-Syria border region.

Syria has been witnessing deadly violence since March, 2011.