Gunmen killed at least six Lebanese soldiers and wounded one when they attacked an army patrol near the border with Syria on Tuesday, a Lebanese security source said.
The gunmen crossed from Syria to the remote border town of Ras Baalbek, in eastern Lebanon, after dark and ambushed the patrol. Clashes between the gunmen and a special army unit erupted after the attack and the army was able to retrieve the bodies of six of its soldiers, the source said.
The state-run National News Agency also reported the ambush, saying several soldiers were killed and wounded. It also said the Lebanese military called in air support to the area.
It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the attack.
In August, the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front and the Islamic State groups seized about 20 Lebanese soldiers and police officers during a brief raid on the Lebanese border town of Arsal. The extremists killed three of the captives, beheading two of them.
The militants are demanding the release of Islamists held by the Lebanese authorities in exchange for the remaining captured members of the Lebanese security forces.
Material for this report came from Reuters and AP.
