Lebanese army foils terrorist intrusion attempt near Arsal

The Lebanese army has thwarted an attempted intrusion by Takfiri terrorists near the northeastern town of Arsal on the border with Syria.

The development came amid heavy clashes on Sunday in the Wadi Hmayyed area on the outskirts of Arsal, leading to the killing of several Takfiri elements, Lebanese Daily Star news website reported Monday, citing a security source that spoke on condition of anonymity.

The report further cited another security source as saying that the army’s recent gains against the ISIL-linked militants in Ras Baalbek and its repositioning in the eastern town has forced the armed terrorists to look for other safe havens.

An army statement further announced on Sunday that Lebanese soldiers raided stone quarries and carpentry shops on the outskirts of Arsal in Wadi al-Hosn, where the Takfiri elements had taken refuge, eliminating their fortifications.

According to the statement, army troops also found cannabis, syringes, military equipment and an unspecified amount of cash inside their fortifications.

The development comes after the Lebanese army on Thursday flushed out ISIL terror elements off two strategic hilltop positions along the northeastern frontier with Syria, in a pre-emptive operation aimed at protecting residents of the mostly Christian-populated border villages from the armed extremists.

The army announced last week that its forces had managed to “wrest full control” of hilltop positions of Sadr al-Jarash and Harf al-Jarash, northeast of Tallet al-Hamra on the outskirts of the village of Ras Baalbek.