Beirut, Aug 3 (IANS): At least eight Lebanese soldiers were killed in clashes with the Syrian militants in a border town, an army official said Sunday.
Clashes occurred Saturday in Lebanon-Syria border town of Bekaa in Arsal district, 124 km north east of Beirut, Xinhua reported citing the official.
The army units in the area had regained "complete control" of the Wadi Hamyyed area in Arsal, adding "it was also in the process of liberating some nearby hills", the official said.
Tension escalated Saturday in Arsal when masked Syrian gunmen infiltrated Lebanon after the army announced the arrest of al-Nusra Front militant Imad Ahmed Jomaa.
Jomaa was arrested while being transferred to a hospital after he sustained injuries during battles on the outskirts of Arsal.
The gunmen surrounded army checkpoints and targeted military posts, while others stormed an Internal Security Forces post in the Bekaa region.
Clashes soon erupted between troops and the militants.