Army Shells Nusra Positions in Arsal, Injures Several

The army shelled on Wednesday the positions of gunmen in the outskirts of the northeastern border town of Arsal, the state-run National News Agency said.

It added that the troops injured several gunmen in heavy shelling on the militant positions and inflicted damage on six of their vehicles.

LBCI said that the army shelled with heavy artillery the positions of al-Qaida affiliated al-Nusra Front group in the outskirts of Arsal injuring several of the militants and damaging six of their vehicles.

Wednesday's shelling comes one day after the a swap deal that saw the release of 16 soldiers kidnapped for 15 months by al-Nusra.

The release took place in Wadi Hmeid in Arsal where the militants gathered on Lebanese soil to hand the abductees to Lebanese authorities.

The deal was only successful after a list of demands was approved and that included the release of 13 inmates from Lebanese prisons and an undisclosed number of inmates from Syrian jails.

The soldiers were kidnapped when the militants overran Arsal in August 2014 and ended when the gunmen withdrew.

D.A.

M.T.