Soldier Missing, Another Hurt in Clashes with Jihadists in Arsal Plains
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
An army soldier went missing and three others were hurt in fresh clashes Thursday with Islamist gunmen in Arsal's outskirts, state-run National News Agency reported.
The fighting first erupted after an army patrol was attacked in the al-Rahweh area.
“An army soldier was martyred in the clashes that erupted in Arsal's barren mountains as militants tried to sneak into the positions of the army, which repelled them and shelled their posts with artillery,” NNA said.
Three troops were also injured in the fighting, according to the agency.
But the army later issued a communique announcing that “a military vehicle carrying five troops was ambushed in Arsal's al-Rahweh valley at the hands of terrorist militants.”
“Consequently, army forces waged an attack on the gunmen, in which it managed to liberate four of the soldiers,” the army added.
“A terrorist vehicle equipped with a 23mm anti-aircraft gun was destroyed and those inside it were killed or wounded," it said.
The military confirmed that a soldier went missing and another was injured in the clashes.
Meanwhile, Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji contacted Prime Minister Tammam Salam to brief him on the incidents, according to NNA.
According to al-Jadeed television, Arsal's outskirts are currently witnessing artillery shelling and fierce clashes.
Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq announced earlier that “a soldier was abducted and another was wounded,” citing preliminary reports.
He revealed that a cabinet session will be held “within the next three days” to discuss the security situation.
NNA said the army liberated the four soldiers following fierce clashes with gunmen belonging to al-Nusra Front and the Islamic State in Arsal's Wadi al-Raayan and Wadi al-Hawa areas.
Earlier, media reports said an army post came under attack by militants from the IS and al-Qaida-affiliated al-Nusra Front in the al-Rahweh region.
Heavy fighting ensued as MTV said rocket-propelled grenades were used in the fighting.
The army has since brought reinforcements to the area, reported LBCI television.
Overnight, the army repelled an attack by the jihadists on its base in the Wadi Hmeid area of Arsal, leaving casualties among their ranks, NNA reported.
It said the militants advanced on the base on Wednesday night and sought to isolate it to advance towards the town of Arsal, which lies about 90 kilometers from Beirut.
But the troops engaged in heavy gunbattles with the fighters, leaving several of them wounded, the agency said.
It was not clear if the fighters belonged to the Islamic State or al-Nusra Front, whose members fought the army for several days earlier this month.
The army has yet to issue a communique on the details of the fighting.
The Arsal clashes first erupted on August 2 when the military arrested an al-Nusra Front official.
It was the most dangerous spillover from Syria and raised fears of the advance of the Islamic State on Lebanon.
The fighters withdrew from Arsal after a ceasefire was brokered by Muslim scholars. But they took with them hostages from the army and security forces.
G.K./M.T./Y.R.
28 August 2014, 11:00
107
12 minutes ago Hollande: We decided in cooperation with Saudi Arabia to send Lebanon means that are necessary to guarantee its security.
Mr. Hollande, but flamethrower and mowaten said it is a big lie.
28 August 2014, 12:28
78
If you want to answer things we said, answer things we actually said, don't attribute random statements to us
28 August 2014, 14:22
67
that they wont give us any arms that could serve in defending against israel, like anti-air defenses
29 August 2014, 10:48
10
oh will you stop being such a whining little girl? saying stupid things just to try to make a dodgy point. do you REALLY not think what lebanon needs is anti-air defenses? like, SERIOUSLY? if you're going to answer no then dont bother, i've wasted all the time i'm willing to waste on hypocrites.
28 August 2014, 11:32
94
flamethrower what's the significance of "twice on friday", any religious significance?
28 August 2014, 12:03
105
Alborz Esmail, the only thing that we want is partition. You are free to kill yourself in the name of your peaceful way of living.....while we secure our after life by being Christians.
You are exposed...everybody is discussed and we have nothing in common
28 August 2014, 13:32
210
what are we waiting for?? all z syrians & palestinians and hujeiri terrorist groups must be exterminated // executed //.. not to forget z liars scholars...
28 August 2014, 14:24
103
again and again
plus one for your racism
next time add muslims, gays and women
enno show us the real da3esh in you
28 August 2014, 16:28
80
Flame always as amazing analaytic logic...
Wow u r not only great in politics but also in human science and devlopment, man u are so full of wisdome, so modern, so secular, so progressist...
U know u dont like sunis (of course da3ech, nusra... But also hariri moustakbal.... Because they are al saoudi takfiri...) u don't like gays, u fon't like liberals, u prefer dictators, u are willing to defend aoun stances as contradictory as they might get...
No wonder u are pro-hezbollah... Oh wait deep inside u despize them to, but now they are strong ally that can get aoun to presidence....
And with guys like u there is a real hope for change and reform...
Bravo flame, u did it again...
Seriously man go have some chupachups...
28 August 2014, 16:21
04
The government ( if it is awake ) should establish a national defense force comprised of volunteers and train them immediately . We can have another 50,000 volunteers ready in case of anything MORE happening
28 August 2014, 16:33
72
Says the shiite iranian style jihadist lover...
U know the kind of guy that concider normal that for the assassination of a lebanese officer shot down while on duty in an lebanese army hellicopter by a partiotic progressist shitte resistant is a simple missunderstanding (and for them to admit it after saying,as always that it was the israelly enemy...) andeserve 6months jail...
I'm sure the army is moved by ur support....
U, the guys u support, are not better than those retarded suni extremists... But shia style...
Go have some chupachups man...
28 August 2014, 16:36
40
I still find it weird that thousand of iraky soldiers ran away leaving armored vehicules , heavy weaponnery for who comes to take....
But agree with u tex...
But if only LAF could close those 500k borders (500k including south borders), if only army could stop all armed man (including hezbos and now we have resistance brigades (go figure...) if only they could catch ali eid, if only....
Anyway better than nothing...
28 August 2014, 16:38
51
May the sacrifice of our army not go in vain, and may them apply the law on all lebanese (even turbaned iranian style ones) so that we can start dreaming of a state...
28 August 2014, 16:53
00
takfiris? what takfiris? al qa3ida? what al qa3ida? sannis? what sannis? these are march 14's and sanni first's twins. after all, they are fathered by the syrians.
28 August 2014, 16:58
41
I wonder what made them come?
Maybe they like the fact that we have the sea and 30 min away they can enjoy the montains, maybe for our homoss and tabouleh?...
Or maybe a sectarian shiite millicia has put us in a conflicts with their jihadist duty and now in irak?.... Maybe this sectarian shiite millicia incited sectarian hatered like "ahrah el sonna" twitter account?... Maybe da3ech in lebanon is like shaker el abssi?....maybe?...
Or maybe u are just a racist, retarded like da3ech but christian style, anyway tric come back, u will be so happy here, portugal/europe are a bad influence on u, here u will find urself surround by people as modern and progressist as u...
Btw pass by central africa, they have da3ech christian style overthere (specialised in cutting women breasts so that they cannot feed newborn)... I'm sure u'll find urself even more at home....
29 August 2014, 05:16
10
Maybe they came because that is their goal! Islamic State in Iraq and Levant (ISIL) or ISIS if you use the word "Sham". Where is Lebanon? Is it not part of the Levant?
28 August 2014, 17:10
30
Agree....
The only problem that there is a thin line betwwen protecting lebanon and protecting hezbollah , u know hezbos involvement in syria (and now in irak), them going for jihadist duty there they have dragged us into this, the stance should be clear, secure the borders no armed men in or out, let they be suni or shiite jihadists...
But this flame, mowaten.. Aoun... See differently...
28 August 2014, 17:12
32
It is very rare, but on this one i do agree with u tric....
Banana republic....
28 August 2014, 17:18
30
Sad how Hezbollah brought this onto Lebanon, now we're dealing with 2 set's of fundamentalism and our Army is stuck in the middle trying to deal with both...
28 August 2014, 17:20
30
Well Tex, I see FT's using those fake accounts of his again, so long as people with intelligence read that's what counts.
28 August 2014, 20:16
10
Genius, why do you assume I'm with M14? You can't break beyond your programming huh?
28 August 2014, 19:21
32
:) i admire u rational and will to use comon sence and logic tex...
Unfortunatly some peolpe donnot even read, they only spell SANA,rusia today, manar propaganda....
I will go have some chupachups...
28 August 2014, 20:39
00
Your broken record about M14 is getting boring FT, there's medication for this sort of thing. Seems you suffer from splitting, assuming if you're not with HA that therefore you're with M14. How's about: Supporting only LEBANON and no foreign entities? I know it's scary and you'll just get whiney yet again, but please, your M14 card is getting too boring.
