Militants Incur Casualties in Hizbullah 'Ambush' in Arsal Outskirts
Two jihadist militants were killed and five others were wounded Thursday in a “Hizbullah ambush” in the outskirts of the northeastern border town of Arsal, media reports said.
“A group of militants fell into an ambush set up by the mujahideen of the resistance in the Wadi al-Kheil area in Arsal's outskirts,” Hizbullah's al-Manar television said.
Quoting “the militants' sources,” the TV network said “they have admitted that two of their members were killed and five others were wounded.”
Meanwhile, Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3) said the militants belong to al-Qaida-linked al-Nusra Front, also saying that two were killed and five others were wounded.
Most of the Syrian regions near Lebanon's border were captured over the past year by Syrian regime troops and Hizbullah fighters.
Militants from al-Nusra and the extremist Islamic State group are still however entrenched the outskirts of Arsal and other border areas.
Syria's civil war has regularly spilled over into Lebanon, with Nusra and IS jihadists briefly overrunning Arsal in August 2014 after gunbattles with the Lebanese army.
The jihadists withdrew after a ceasefire, but took with them several dozen hostages from the army and police, four of whom have since been executed.
Y.R.
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