2 Militants Killed in Arsal after Attacking LA, Tripoli Faces Gunmen Brutality

Local Editor

The Lebanese Army [LA] announced Thursday that a group of armed men driving a pick-up truck attacked a Lebanese Army checkpoint in the locality of Wadi Hmayed - Arsal, a thing which led to fire exchange between both sides.

According to the LA's communiqué, the clash left two of the armed men dead, one of whom carries the Syrian nationality, whereas the rest hurriedly escaped from the clash scene.
This altercation comes days after the Lebanese Army lost three of its soldiers at the same checkpoint in May 28, 2013.

The communiqué added that the pick-up truck, which possesses weapons and munitions, is now in the custody of the LA.
On the other hand, a Syrian chopper belonging to the Syrian army, launched yesterday five rockets that hit al- Babain and al-Jammaleh localities of Arsal region, three of the rockets exploded.

The Lebanese Army statement also said that ten rockets, coming from the Syrian side of the border, landed in the city of Baalbek last night, a thing which lead to the injury of one citizen, not mention other material damage of properties.
The Lebanese Army duly took necessary measures by intensifying patrols along the border of the region.

In the Northern capital, Tripoli, masked gunmen and demonstrators took to the streets in the northern city of Tripoli, blocking roads and forcing shop owners to close their businesses.

Gunmen in the northern city forced owners to close down shops in Tripoli's Old Souk area, while demonstrators blocked roads across the city with burning tires.

The protestors blocked the Abu Ali roundabout as well as other roads as gunmen deployed in different areas in Downtown Tripoli and al-Nour square at the city's entrance.

Meanwhile, the LA stated that it reopened Tripoli's International highway, after a group of armed men attempted to block itIn parallel, army units tightened their security measures and expanded their deployment in the vicinity of Jabal Mohsen, Bab Tabbeneh and the surrounding areas, and carried out a series of raids in search of insurgents and weapons caches.
 
The LA further managed to seize on Thursday at dawn, in the locality of Souk Al-Kameh, a warehouse of weapons containing large quantities of explosives, homemade mortar shells, rifles and ammunition, in addition to a variety of military equipment.

The store belongs to Ziad Aluki who started, right after the raid, to tell lies concerning the Army's tampering with religious symbols in order to flare up sectarian strife," according to the Lebanese Army Command - Orientation Directorate's statement.

"Military forces are still conducting raid operations and hunting down militants in the neighborhoods of the city, warning again that they will not tolerate direct tampering with security or any armed appearances regardless of their affiliations," the statement added.