Explosions, including five suicide bombings, shook a Lebanese border town early on Friday, killing a Syrian girl and wounding seven Lebanese soldiers as the army raided several refugee settlements, the military said.

The Lebanese army has been battling militants who have thrived in the border area with Syria during its war, now in its seventh year. Tiny Lebanon of 4.5 million people has been grappling with an influx of over a million Syrian refugees who escaped violence at home to find refuge in the neighboring country.

The raids and a subsequent security sweep earned the Lebanese military much praise. But they also stirred up a storm among Syrian activists after pictures surfaced of rows of detainees with their faces to the ground, many bare-chested and their hands cuffed. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights called for their immediate release.

According to an army statement, the soldiers were conducting early morning raids Friday in the town of Arsal when the attacks took place. The town and the surrounding area was the scene of a major cross-border attack in 2014, when a number of Lebanese soldiers were abducted.

The military said one suicide attacker blew himself up among a family of Syrian refugees during the raid in al-Nour settlement, killing the girl.

Also in al-Nour, three soldiers were wounded when a suicide bomber detonated his suicide belt near them. Three other men wearing suicide vests blew themselves up. It was not clear which of the four suicide bombings killed the girl. Attackers also detonated an explosive device while a military expert defused four others, the army said.

In another settlement, al-Qariya, a fifth suicide bomber blew himself up but no one was hurt. But four soldiers were wounded when a hand grenade was tossed at them.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Lebanon's army commander Brig. Gen. Joseph Aoun visited Arsal later Friday, praising his troops for "their bravery in confronting the terrorists and for carrying out their mission with high precision and professionalism." His comments were carried by the official Lebanese News Agency.

"What happened today reaffirms once again the army's decisive decision to eradicate terrorist organizations, their cells and members, wherever they are on Lebanese territory and regardless of the cost and sacrifices," Aoun was quoted as saying.

France, a major supplier for the Lebanese army, condemned the attacks. It reaffirmed its support for the stability of Lebanon.

Al-Jadeed TV and other local media reported that about 400 people were detained during and after the raids, including some wanted militants believed to belong to an al-Qaida-linked group and the Islamic State group.

Pictures circulated online showed dozens of men lying flat on the ground, with their hands cuffed behind their backs as soldiers stand above them with their guns pointed. The pictures could not be independently confirmed and the military could not be reached for comments on the detentions.

Lebanon has faced limited spillover from Syria's civil war. Last summer, a series of deadly bombings stuck a village near the Syrian border and killed five people. The attacks triggered fear among many in Lebanon, already overwhelmed with Syrian refugees.

But the images of the handcuffed detainees angered many Syrians, reeling from violence and abuse at home at the hands of the government and sometimes insurgents.

"We condemn the abuse and humiliation of Syrian refugees and we call on the Lebanese forces to stop such shameful acts," Rami Abdurrahman, the director of the Observatory said in a statement.</s>BEIRUT (Reuters) - Five suicide bombers attacked Lebanese soldiers as they raided two Syrian refugee camps in the Arsal area at the border with Syria on Friday and a sixth militant threw a hand grenade at a patrol, the army said.

Lebanese army soldiers patrol a street at the entrance of the border town of Arsal, in eastern Bekaa Valley, Lebanon June 30, 2017. REUTERS/Hassan Abdallah

The army said seven soldiers were wounded and a girl was killed after one of the suicide bombers blew himself up in the midst of a family of refugees. It did not elaborate.

The raids were part of a major security sweep by the army in an area that has been a flashpoint for violent spillover from the Syria crisis, and several Islamic State officials were among some 350 people detained, a security source said.

The defense minister was quoted as saying the incident showed the importance of tackling the refugee crisis - Lebanon is hosting over 1 million refugees - and vindicated a policy of “pre-emptive strikes” against militant sleeper cells.

Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which backs Syrian President Bashar al Assad in his fight against insurgents, said the raids complemented its own fighters’ campaign to stop militants entering Lebanon from Syria.

“What is needed today is to unify efforts more and more to fill all the gaps that terrorists can infiltrate from to protect Lebanon and its people from the big dangers that target it,” the Hezbollah statement said.

There has been frequent fighting between the army and militants dug into the hills around Arsal in a large pocket of territory straddling the border.

Related Coverage Hezbollah says army manhunt in Syrian refugee camps protects border security

A Lebanese army statement said one suicide bomber had detonated his explosive laden belt in front of an army patrol during a manhunt for suspected militants in a refugee camp in the northeastern border town. Three soldiers were wounded.

The army said four other suicide bombers blew themselves up without causing any injuries among soldiers, while another militant threw a grenade at a patrol, wounding four soldiers.

During the raids an explosive device blew up while four other explosive devices were defused, it said.

The U.N. refugee agency says Lebanon hosts more than 1 million registered Syrian refugees - constituting a quarter of its population.

The government puts the number at 1.5 million. They are scattered across the country in informal tented settlements where many face the risk of arrest due to lack of legal residency that they struggle to obtain.

The Lebanese army has in recent months stepped up raids in the makeshift camps built on the edge of Arsal, where refugees live in squalid conditions.

The manhunt inside the sprawling camps on the border area came after intelligence reports that militants were preparing to stage a series of attacks inside Lebanon.

A Lebanese army soldier gestures at a military vehicle at the entrance of the border town of Arsal, in eastern Bekaa Valley, Lebanon June 30, 2017. REUTERS/Hassan Abdallah

The camps around the town have long been a haven for militants coming from Syria who have clashed with Lebanese forces conducting security raids searching for suspects hiding among the refugees.

The militants briefly overran the town in 2014 in a battle that killed dozens and marked one of the more serious spillovers of the Syrian conflict in Lebanon.

A number of attacks in Lebanon in recent years have been linked to the war in Syria.</s>BEIRUT, Lebanon — Five suicide bombers attacked Lebanese soldiers searching for militants in refugee settlements near the border with Syria on Friday, the army said, and the explosions killed a girl and wounded a number of soldiers.

The attacks shook the makeshift camps that have grown near the Lebanese border town of Arsal as refugees have poured in to escape the war in Syria. Militants holed up in the area, which is isolated and mountainous, have launched attacks on army positions.

The military raids on Friday were the latest effort by the Lebanese Army to bring the area under its control and arrest militants who Lebanese officials said they believed were plotting attacks elsewhere in the country.

In remarks released by the National News Agency of Lebanon, the army said its troops had sustained a number of attacks during the raids on the camps. One bomber detonated his explosive belt in front of an army patrol, wounding three soldiers. Four others blew themselves up without wounding any soldiers, but one of the explosions killed a girl living in one of the camps. Another militant threw a grenade at a patrol, wounding four soldiers.

Lebanon, a country of 4.5 million people, has taken in more than a million Syrian refugees, giving it the highest refugee population per capita in the world.

While Arsal has been the site of frequent clashes between militants and the Lebanese Army, the violence has not spread to the wider refugee population, most of whom live in squalid conditions or informal settlements in Lebanon’s poorest areas, where the government and aid organizations struggle to provide for them.</s>Five suicide bombers attacked Lebanese soldiers as they raided two Syrian refugee camps in the Arsal area at the border with Syria on Friday, while a sixth militant threw a hand grenade at a patrol, with a total of seven soldiers wounded, the army said.</s>Beirut: Five suicide bombers attacked Lebanese soldiers as they raided two Syrian refugee camps in the Arsal area at the border with Syria on Friday and a sixth militant threw a hand grenade at a patrol, the army said.

The army said seven soldiers were wounded and a girl was killed after one of the suicide bombers blew himself up in the midst of a family of refugees. It did not elaborate.

The raids were part of a major security sweep by the army in an area that has been a flashpoint for violent spillover from the Syria crisis, and several Islamic State officials were among some 350 people detained, a security source said.

The defence minister was quoted as saying the incident showed the importance of tackling the refugee crisis - Lebanon is hosting over 1 million refugees - and vindicated a policy of "pre-emptive strikes" against militant sleeper cells.

A Lebanese army statement said one suicide bomber had detonated his explosive laden belt in front of an army patrol during a manhunt for suspected militants in a refugee camp in the northeastern border town. Three soldiers were wounded.

The army said four other suicide bombers blew themselves up without causing any injuries among soldiers, while another militant threw a grenade at a patrol, wounding four soldiers.

During the raids an explosive device blew up while four other explosive devices that were being prepared by the militants were defused.

Lebanese TV station al-Mayadeen quoted Defence Minister Yacoub Sarraf as saying the army had proved "once again it is the safety valve of the country".

The U.N. refugee agency figure of Lebanon hosting more than 1 million registered Syrian refugees constitutes a quarter of its population.

The government puts the number at 1.5 million. They are scattered across the country in informal tented settlements where many face the risk of arrest due to lack of legal residency that they struggle to obtain.

The Lebanese army has in recent months stepped up raids in the makeshift camps built on the edge of Arsal, where refugees live in squalid conditions.

The manhunt inside the sprawling camps on the border area came after intelligence reports that militants were preparing to stage a series of attacks inside Lebanon.

The camps around the town have long been a haven for militants coming from Syria who have clashed with Lebanese forces conducting security raids searching for suspects hiding among the refugees.

The militants briefly overran the town in 2014 in a battle that killed dozens and marked one of the more serious spillovers of the Syrian conflict in Lebanon.

A number of attacks in Lebanon in recent years have been linked to the war in Syria, where Lebanese Shi`ite group Hezbollah is fighting in support of President Bashar al-Assad.</s>BEIRUT: Five suicide bombers attacked Lebanese soldiers as they raided two Syrian refugee camps in the Arsal area at the border with Syria on Friday and a sixth militant threw a hand grenade at a patrol, the army said. Seven soldiers were wounded.

A Lebanese army statement said one suicide bomber had detonated his explosive laden belt in front of an army patrol during a manhunt for suspected militants in a refugee camp in the northeastern border town. The army said four other suicide bombers blew themselves up

without causing any injuries among soldiers, while another militant threw a grenade at a patrol, injuring four soldiers.

During the raids an explosive device blew up while four other explosive devices that were being prepared by the militants were defused. The Lebanese army has in recent months stepped up raids in the makeshift camps built on the edge of the town where tens of thousands of impoverished Syrian refugees who had fled violence in their country in recent years live in squalid conditions.



The camps around the town have long been a haven for militants coming from Syria who have clashed with Lebanese forces conducting security raids searching for suspects hiding among the refugees. The militants briefly overran the town in 2014 in a battle that killed dozens and marked one of the more serious spillovers of the Syrian conflict in Lebanon.

A number of attacks in Lebanon in recent years have been linked to the war in Syria, where Lebanese Shia group Hezbollah is fighting in support of President Bashar al-Assad.</s>Five suicide bombers blow themselves up during army raid in Al Nour refugee camp near Syrian border, officials say.

At least four Lebanese soldiers were wounded in a large army operation in refugee camps near the village of Arsal at the Lebanese-Syrian border, local media reported.

Five suicide bombers blew themselves up during the army raid in Al Nour refugee camp east of Arsal near Wadi Atta, security sources told Reuters news agency.

The army arrested more than 150 Syrian refugees, including a large number of suspected rebel fighters from the surrounding the area, Tayyar media reported.

Witnesses reported hearing intermittent bursts of gunfire in the area.

The wounded soldiers were airlifted to hospital by a Lebanese army helicopter, Tayyar reported.

About 70,000 Syrian refugees live in camps in and around Arsal, some of the more than one million Syrians who have fled to Lebanon.

Lebanon's military has stepped up its crackdown on fighters connected to the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) in the remote area close to the Syria border.

About 1,500 fighters are still believed to be operating near the flashpoint town of Arsal, which was overrun by ISIL in 2014.

Across the border, advances by the Syrian army, backed by the Lebanese Hezbollah movement, last year cut off the rebels from the east, leaving them surrounded in an area straddling the border.

Both the ISIL and the al-Qaeda-linked Jabhat Fateh al-Sham are still there, living in caves, ramshackle homes and other makeshift dwellings, according to the Lebanese army.</s>BEIRUT: Five suicide bombers attacked Lebanese soldiers as they raided two Syrian refugee camps in the Arsal area at the border with Syria on Friday and a sixth militant threw a hand grenade at a patrol, the army said. Seven soldiers were wounded.

Start the conversation, or Read more at Channelnewsasia.com.</s>Five suicide bombers blow themselves up during army raids on two Syrian refugee near Syria border.

Seven Lebanese soldiers were wounded on Friday when army raids on two refugee camps near the village of Arsal at the Lebanese-Syrian border were targeted by a group of suicide bombers.

"Five suicide bombings and a grenade attack targeted the Lebanese Army early Friday in the northeastern border town of Arsal, leaving seven soldiers wounded," the army said in a statement.

One attacker detonated a suicide vest in the al-Nour camp near Arsal, "lightly" injuring three soldiers, the army said.

Three other attackers blew themselves up but did not injure anyone.

Troops recovered four explosive devices during the raid.

"The army immediately detonated these devices in the places they were planted," the statement said.

Another attacker blew himself up in the nearby camp of al-Qariyeh, and a second attacker threw a grenade at troops, wounding four of them.

The army said its units were continuing with the raids, which are aimed at "arresting terrorists and seizing weapons".

Witnesses reported hearing intermittent bursts of gunfire in the area.

The wounded soldiers were airlifted to hospital by a Lebanese army helicopter, Tayyar media reported.

About 70,000 Syrian refugees live in camps in and around Arsal, some of the more than one million Syrians who have fled to Lebanon to escape a bloody civil war on the other side of the border.

Lebanon's military has stepped up its crackdown on fighters connected to the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) in the remote area close to the Syria border.

About 1,500 fighters are still believed to be operating near the flashpoint town of Arsal, which was overrun by ISIL in 2014.

Across the border, advances by the Syrian army, backed by the Lebanese Hezbollah movement, last year cut off the rebels from the east, leaving them surrounded in an area straddling the border.

Both the ISIL and the al-Qaeda-linked Jabhat Fateh al-Sham are still there, living in caves, ramshackle homes and other makeshift dwellings, according to the Lebanese army.</s>FILE PHOTO: A general view shows Syrian refugee camps dotted in and around the Lebanese town of Arsal, near the border with Syria, Lebanon September 21, 2016. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo BEIRUT: Five suicide bombers attacked Lebanese soldiers as they raided two Syrian refugee camps in the Arsal area at the border with Syria on Friday and a sixth militant threw a hand grenade at a patrol, the army said.

Start the conversation, or Read more at The Peninsula.
Lebanese Armed Forces are attacked by five suicide bombers and other militants during a raid of two Syrian refugee camps in Arsal near the Syrian border. The army reports a girl was killed in one of the suicide attacks, seven soldiers were also wounded, and 350 people, including several ISIL officials, were detained during the sweep.