5 IS Militants Killed as Hizbullah, Army Shell Ras Baalbek Outskirts
Hizbullah fighters shelled Friday positions of the jihadist Islamic State group in an area near the Syrian border, killing five militants, Hizbullah's al-Manar TV said.
The shelling occurred on the outskirts of the Lebanese border town of Ras Baalbek, where IS fighters and Syria's al-Qaida affiliate, known as al-Nusra Front, are active.
Meanwhile, state-run National News Agency said the Lebanese army opened heavy artillery fire at IS gatherings in Ras Baalbek's outskirts inflicting casualties.
The army frequently shells the militants' positions in the border area, while Hizbullah fighters have confronted them on the Syrian side.
In August 2014, IS and Nusra Front militants seized some 20 Lebanese soldiers and police officers during a brief cross-border raid on the border town of Arsal. The extremists have executed four of them and are still holding the rest.
Y.R.
Source: Associated Press, Naharnet
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