Lebanese soldier and suspected militant die in clashes in the north

A Lebanese soldier was killed in armed clashes after the army raided a suspected Islamist militant hideout in the northern city of Tripoli late on Sunday.

“At around 11pm, in Al Tabbaneh, Tripoli, during a raid to arrest wanted people, the army was the target of gunfire and hand grenades, which led to the martyrdom of one soldier and the injury of a number of others,” the Lebanese army said in a statement.

The raid on a house in Al Tabbaneh aimed to capture Hajar Al Abdullah, who was also killed in the fighting. His brother, Bilal, was detained.

The army seized money, arms, ammunition and other military hardware from the house.

The Lebanese authorities have uncovered a number of ISIL attacks and networks since the last major attack – a 2015 twin suicide bombing in Beirut.

Lebanon has mostly escaped the rash of militant assaults around the Middle East spurred by the war in its neighbour Syria, and last year forced ISIL fighters out of an enclave on the mountainous border between the two countries.

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