Lebanese troops, terrorists clash near Syria

Lebanese security forces have exchanged fire with al-Qaeda-linked terrorists in the Bekaa Valley near the border with Syria.

Local sources said the clashes erupted outside the towns of Deir al-Ghazal and Qusaya on Wednesday when al-Nusra Front terrorists tried to infiltrate into Lebanon from Syria.

The Lebanese army, supported by Syrian soldiers on the other side of the border, halted the terrorists’ advance, with Hezbollah fighters also giving a hand to prevent their infiltration.

Earlier, clashes between the country’s army and the militants in the Bab al-Tabbaneh neighborhood of the northern city of Tripoli claimed the lives of dozens of people. The clashes also displaced thousands of people from the violence-ravaged district.

Bab al-Tabbaneh had for long been a stronghold of Takfiri terrorists. Following the raids, the Lebanese army discovered several arms depots and an ammunition factory in the neighborhood.

The al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front and the Takfiri ISIL 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.

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 the ISIL Takfiri terrorists currently controlling parts of it mostly in the east and north.