The army shelled on Sunday the positions of gunmen near the border with Syria, reported the National News Agency.

It said that it targeted with artillery the armed groups on the outskirts of the northeastern border town of Arsal.

Al-Manar television meanwhile reported that Hizbullah fighters are advancing on Harf al-Dabboul, south of Arsal's outskirts, where fierce clashes are ongoing with the armed groups.

A number of members of the al-Qaida-affiliated al-Nusra Front were killed in the unrest, it added.

Members of the group have also been seen fleeing the scene of the fighting.

They fled to the heights of al-Hosn and Wadi al-Khayl east of Arsal's outskirts towards the encampments of Syrian refugees.

Hizbullah and Syrian regime forces have in recent weeks been engaged in fighting with armed groups from Syria in the border region of al-Qalamoun.

The party has made gains in the area and its chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah claimed Friday that it managed to "liberate dozens of square kilometers" of land in al-Qalamoun, pushing back al-Nusra Front and its allies.

He vowed that Hizbullah will next turn its sights on the Islamic State group which has seized chunks of Syria and Iraq.

Hizbullah insists it is fighting in Syria to prevent extremist groups from entering Lebanon.

M.T.