Search
Search

LEBANON

Three soldiers killed in Bekaa during raid on drug traffickers

"Nine people have so far been arrested," the Lebanese Army said.

Three soldiers killed in Bekaa during raid on drug traffickers

Military personnel deployed on a road leading to the village of Arsal in the Bekaa, East Lebanon. (Credit: Joseph Eid/AFP)

Three Lebanese soldiers soldiers and three suspects were killed on Thursday during a Lebanese Army raid in the village of Haour Taala in the Bekaa, in eastern Lebanon, the army announced in a tweet.

When contacted by L'Orient-le Jour, a spokesman for the army said the suspects were believed to be drug traffickers.

In a statement issued by the army on Thursday evening, the army said that "raid operations continue," adding that "nine people have so far been arrested." Earlier Thursday, an army spokesperson told L'Orient-le Jour that the raid in Haour Taala had ended.

According to our correspondent in the region, tension prevailed in the area following the deaths, while gunfire was heard earlier in the day in villages located in the eastern Bekaa.

Reacting to news of the incident, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said via Twitter that "the army is at the forefront of the struggle to defend the country and its sovereignty and protect its people."

Following the soldiers' deaths, demonstrators briefly blocked the road in Ablah village in the Bekaa using burning tires, the state-run National News Agency reported.

The security situation in Lebanon has deteriorated significantly since 2019, as the country grapples with its worst socio-economic and financial crisis in contemporary history.

The Bekaa Valley, where the state struggles to regulate the possession of weapons, is often the scene of bloody clashes between the military and heavily armed groups.

Last August, a Lebanese soldier was killed in clashes with traffickers on the border with Syria. The border between the countries remains very porous despite the installation of observation towers in recent years.

Additional reporting by Sarah Abdallah

Three Lebanese soldiers soldiers and three suspects were killed on Thursday during a Lebanese Army raid in the village of Haour Taala in the Bekaa, in eastern Lebanon, the army announced in a tweet.When contacted by L'Orient-le Jour, a spokesman for the army said the suspects were believed to be drug traffickers.In a statement issued by the army on Thursday evening, the army said that "raid...