Beirut: Three unidentified militants were killed in clashes with Lebanese soldiers who launched an operation near the Syrian border early on Tuesday to retake control of a hilltop, the Lebanese army said.
The army said in a statement that its units took control of a militant post on the outskirts of the northeastern town of Ras Baalbek after attacking the gunmen entrenched on the border area with Syria, Xinhua news agency reported.
It added that “the operation came after the military received information that terrorist groups were making combat and logistical preparations”.
There were no casualties among the army’s ranks, said the statement. The army did not specify which groups the militants belonged to.
The area around Al Makheirma hill outside Ras Baalbek village has seen regular incursions from militants fighting in Syria’s war.
Four other militants were wounded in the clashes, the army said in a statement. It did not specify which groups the combatants belonged to but said the operation aimed to “eliminate terrorists” to prevent them targeting soldiers and civilians in Lebanon.
Syria-based groups such as Al Qaida’s Al Nusra Front and Daesh have attacked Lebanon and taken soldiers captive since last summer in some of the worst spillover from the four-year civil war.
Tuesday’s operation destroyed a large number of weapons used by the militants, the army said.
