The army announced on Friday that “several of its troops” were killed and others wounded in ongoing clashes with terrorists in the Tallat al-Hamra region on the outskirts of Ras Baalbek in the eastern Bekaa.

On Friday morning, said the communique, terrorist groups attacked an army surveillance post in Tallat al-Hamra near the Lebanese-Syrian border.

Fierce clashes then erupted between the two sides and the army managed at noon to seize control of the area and repel the gunmen.

A number of gunmen were killed and wounded in the fighting.

The army is still bolstering its measures and positions in Tallat al-Hamra as it continues to target gunmen through heavy weapons.

It is also sweeping the area in search of the gunmen.

The military added that it will reveal the names of its victims in a later statement.

Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3) had reported that three soldiers were killed and four others were missing in Friday's clashes.

MTV reported that more than 10 gunmen were killed and 20 others were wounded in the unrest and the bodies are still scattered on the field.

Tallat al-Hamra is a strategic point that oversees the outskirts of Arsal.

The army statement added that on Wednesday night the military fell victim to an ambush by armed groups that were heading towards a military post in Wadi Hmeid in the northeastern border region of Arsal.

Four gunmen were killed in the ensuing clashes.

The army also thwarted an attempt to transport a booby-trapped vehicle into Lebanon on Thursday. The vehicle was discovered at the entrance of Arsal and the explosive was defused.

Members of the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front and the Islamic State group have launched several such attacks in recent months.

Reports have raised fears lately that Syrian armed gunmen were planning to open a front in Lebanon by invading Arsal and advancing into al-Qaa, Ras Baalbek and other nearby villages.

H.K./M.T.

Y.R.