Hizbullah Shells Nusra Militants in Arsal Outskirts, Inflicting Casualties

Hizbullah fighters on Friday bombed militants from al-Nusra Front in the outskirts of the northeastern border town of Arsal, inflicting casualties, Hizbullah's al-Manar TV reported.

“Islamic Resistance jihadi fighters have targeted a gathering of Nusra Front terrorists in the Dahr al-Hawa area in the outskirts of the northern Bekaa town of Arsal, causing deaths and injuries in their ranks,” al-Manar said.

Al-Nusra has recently rebranded itself as Fateh al-Sham Front after announcing a severing of ties with the global jihadist network al-Qaida.

Militants from the group and the rival Islamic State jihadist group are entrenched in areas along the undemarcated Lebanese-Syrian border and the army regularly shells their posts while Hizbullah and the Syrian forces have engaged in clashes with them on the Syrian side of the border.

The two groups overran the town of Arsal in 2014 before being ousted by the army after days of deadly battles.

The retreating militants abducted more than 30 Lebanese soldiers and policemen of whom four have been executed and nine remain in IS' captivity.