Soldiers, Civilians Killed as Army Arrest of Top Nusra Member Ignites Clashes in Arsal

Tension soared Saturday afternoon in the eastern border town of Arsal when masked Syrian gunmen infiltrated Lebanon after news circulated about the arrest of al-Nusra Front official, the state-run National News Agency reported.

The infiltrators surrounded army checkpoints and targeted military posts with gunfire, while other stormed an Internal Security Forces post in the Bekaa region.

Clashes soon erupted between troops and the militants, resulting in the death of several soldiers and civilians, the Army Command and media outlets said.

The military institution, meanwhile, pledged to respond in a "decisive and firm" manner to prevent the Syrian conflict spilling into Lebanon.

"The army will not allow any party to transfer the battle from Syria to its territory (Lebanon)," the statement said.

"The army will be decisive and firm in its response and will not remain silent as foreigners try to turn our land into a field for crime and terrorism, murder and kidnapping."

NNA said that the gunmen infiltration and the military deployment came in light of the apprehension of Imad Ahmed Jomaa.

He was arrested while he was being transferred to a hospital after he sustained injuries during battles on the outskirts of Arsal.

The army issued later a communique confirming Jomaa's arrest.

“Jomaa was arrested at an army checkpoint in the outskirts of Arsal at 12:00 pm,” the army said in its statement.

It pointed out that investigations showed that he belongs to the al-Qaida-inspired al-Nusra Front.

Jomaa was handed over to the competent judiciary authority for further questioning.

LBCI television said that Jomaa hails from the former rebel bastion of Qusayr in central Syria.

The gunmen were reportedly carrying machineguns and B7 rocket-propelled grenade launcher.

Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3) said that al-Nusra Front gave the Lebanese army an ultimatum until 5:00 pm on Saturday to release Jomaa. But the army ruled out releasing the detained man, al-Jadeed television reported.

The ongoing clashes between the Syrian gunmen and army troops have so far resulted in the martyrdom of at least two soldiers and the abduction of two others, media outlets reported.

Military source told al-Jadeed that the two martyred soldiers were killed in the Wadi Hamayyed region of Arsal.

Among the wounded in Arsal is Jad Nakhle, who is a pilot lieutenant according to MTV.

VDL (93.3), meanwhile, said that contact was lost with a soldier driving a military tank in Arsal without confirming his abduction.

It later identified one of the two kidnapped troops as Khaldoun Khalaf, adding that the second is a member of the Hammoud family.

Al-Mayadeen television later said that the the Lebanese army managed to release the two abducted members, who were handed over to the military institution according to radio Voice of Lebanon (100.5).

Quoting military sources, LBCI said the release of the two soldiers took place in Wadi Hmayyed and added that four troops were wounded in the operation.

It said 7 soldiers in total were wounded in the clashes.

Also, two people were killed when the gunmen stormed a police post in Arsal after clashing with army troop.

LBCI identified one of them as Arsal resident Kamal Ezzeddine. It said he was killed while trying to resist to the Syrian gunmen along with other citizens in the region.

The two men were reportedly killed trying to prevent a group of gunmen from storming the police post inside the town of Arsal, security sources told Agence France Presse.

The NNA also reported the attack and deaths.

After storming the ISF police station, the gunmen freed prisoners and seized weapons found there.

But LBCI reported that the residents of Arsal managed to escort policemen out of the ISF post.

Other sources, meanwhile, said ISF members were held captive at the house of Sheikh Mustafa al-Hujairi, nicknamed Abou Taqiya.

MTV noted that he might have held them hostages to exchange them with Jomaa.

The clashes took a dangerous turn on Saturday afternoon when the gunmen heavily fired gunshots at army positions near the vocational school of Arsal.

To respond to attacks, the army brought in reinforcements to Arsal.

Helicopters flew over the Bekaa region after an army airforce left the Riyaq military airport and headed towards the eastern border.

Future TV added that the airborne regiment headed towards the eastern border town in light of clashes near the vocational school and at the Wadi Hmayyed checkpoint.

The army shelled the armed groups with artillery, according to Future TV.

The residents of Arsal, meanwhile, launched an appeal on social media websites calling for kicking out gunmen from the region and avoiding confrontation with the army.

And sources close to Hizbullah told VDL (100.5) that the party's members are on alert and that they “will fight the gunmen in Arsal like they did in Syria.”

In light if these developments, the Army Command issued a statement vowing to respond strictly to the gunmen.

"What happened and what is happening today is one of the most dangerous things that Lebanon has been subjected to because it revealed that there is someone who has been planning to target the country, the army and Arsal for a while," the army communique said.

It added: "These armed operations are not a coincidence but are planned and deliberate. The army will be strict in responding and will not stay calm in front of attempts trying to turn our land into a zone from crimes, terrorism, killings and abductions."

But the army assured that it will not accept that the Lebanese become "hostages."

"We will not stay calm in front of attacking the army and the residents of Arsal. The army has protected them and reinforced its presence in the region," it said.

Later in evening, the army announced regaining control of al-Masyada checkpoint in Arsal and advancing towards Wadi Hmayyed.

Arsal, a predominantly Sunni area, backs the uprising against Syrian President Bashar Assad.

The town lies 12 kilometers from the border with Syria and has been used as a conduit for weapons and rebels to enter Syria, while also serving as a refuge for people fleeing the conflict.

The town has seen a massive influx of refugees as a result of the heavy fighting in Qalamoun.

The area has also been the scene of frequent tensions with Lebanese security forces, as well as air raids and shelling by Syrian troops across the border who say they are targeting rebel forces holed up in the mountainous region.

Al-Nusra Front has been fighting against Syrian government forces along with other rebel groups.

It has also fought against the Islamic State (IS), a radical jihadist group which has declared a "caliphate" in territory it has seized straddling Syria and Iraq.

H.K./S.D.B.