MOSCOW, August 5 (RIA Novosti) - The Lebanese border town of Arsal has become the battleground for clashes between the Lebanese military and Islamic State (IS) jihadists from Syria, forcing thousands of refugees flee the area.
The head of the Lebanese armed forces, General Jean Kahwaji, told reporters the attack on Arsal “Was prepared in advance, and it seems a long time ago, waiting for the right time”.
At least 13 Lebanese servicemen have been killed, while some soldiers are reportedly held captive by IS militants, and thousands of people are fleeing the area.
Arsal was a major hub for Syrian refugees escaping the civil war.
Over the past weekend, the rebels, including members of radical groups the Islamic State and the Al-Nusra Front, attacked army border checkpoints.
According to Reuters, the militants demanded the authorities free Imad Ahmad Jomaa, a commander in the Syrian rebel forces who was captured at a border checkpoint last Friday.
Heavy gunfire and shelling has pushed thousands of people try to escape the town, seeking refuge in the other parts of Lebanon.
The Islamic State, formerly the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS), one of the principal jihadist groups fighting against the Syrian government, has begun to gain momentum in Iraq this year, seizing Mosul, one of the country’s principal cities. The Lebanese military previously claimed it would not tolerate the civil war in Syria spilling over into Lebanon.
