The gunmen attacked soldiers outside the village of Ras Baalbek near Lebanon’s eastern frontier with Syria.

At least three gunmen were killed in clashes with Lebanese soldiers close to the border with Syria on Friday, a Lebanese security source said, in an area that has seen regular incursions from Islamist militants fighting in Syria’s war.

The gunmen attacked soldiers outside the village of Ras Baalbek near Lebanon’s eastern frontier with Syria and the army responded with artillery, the source said.

It was not immediately clear which group the attackers belonged to but Syria-based jihadist groups such as Al-Qaeda’s Nusra Front and the ultra hardline ISIS have attacked Lebanon in recent months.

Ras Baalbek is near the town of Arsal where militants staged a deadly incursion in August and took Lebanese soldiers captive.

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