Lebanese army repels jihadi attack

Beirut, Nov 5 (IANS/EFE) The Lebanese army repelled an overnight attack by jihadis who attempted to sneak into the northeastern town of Arsal bordering Syria, media reported Wednesday.

The attack followed an announcement by the Nusra Front, an affiliate of Al Qaeda, that there would be "surprises" in the area.

The jihadis tried to smuggle light and medium weapons into Lebanon but the armed forces pushed them back.

The situation in Arsal has deteriorated since August when fighters from the Islamic State (IS) Sunni radical group and the Nusra Front attacked the Lebanese army, leaving 19 dead and 86 wounded.

The militants also captured at least 30 soldiers and policemen, three of whom were beheaded.

The head of the Nusra Front, Abu Mohammad al-Julani, said in an audio message distributed online late Tuesday that "the real battle in Lebanon has yet to begin" and warned that Lebanon's Shia Hezbollah movement would regret its intervention in the Syrian conflict in support of President Bashar al-Assad's regime.

"Our brothers in Qalamun are hiding plenty of surprises," al-Julani said.

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah has affirmed that Sunni radicals, known as takfiris, "have no future in the region".

--IANS/EFE

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