Man Injured in Clash with Army as Several Suspects Arrested

The Lebanese army said a suspect was injured in a clash after attacking a patrol in the northern city of Tripoli on Thursday night as the military announced a series of arrests it has made.

The army said in its communique that the patrol came under fire by Khaled Zakaria al-Khaled when it interfered to disperse gunmen involved in a family fight in the area of al-Beddawi.

The soldiers fired back, injuring al-Khaled.

The patrol seized his firearm and ammunition and arrested Khaled Akram al-Hajj Deeb who was involved in the fighting, said the communique.

An army patrol also raided the house of Othman Mohammed al-Abdullah, a wanted terrorist suspect, in the area of Bab al-Tabbaneh, but did not find him.

It seized from his residence grenades, arms, ammunition, an explosives belt, detonators, military gear and the flags of a terrorist organization, said the communique.

Another suspect was arrested in the northeastern border town of Arsal on Thursday.

According to the communique, Omar Ali al-Hujairi was apprehended for smuggling food and military gear in a tractor to the outskirts of Arsal where Islamic State group and al-Nusra Front militants are hiding.

A man involved in an attack on the army in the summer was among the arrested suspects on Thursday, said the military.

Mohammed Ali Allaw, who was apprehended at dawn Friday in the Haret Hreik neighborhood of Beirut's southern suburbs, had opened fire on soldiers in al-Marj in Hermel in June, it added.

An army patrol also arrested in Haret Hreik a Syrian identified as Juan Fawzi Ahmed who is wanted for attacking soldiers in October in the town of Naameh.

G.K.

H.K.