Reports of Lebanese soldier’s beheading spark protest

Reports of a Lebanese soldier being beheaded by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) sparked protest in the northern areas of Lebanon on Thursday, Al Arabiya News Channel reported.

On Thursday, ISIS militant Abu Musab Hafid al-Baghdadi wrote on his Twitter account: “With Gold’s help, a member of the crusader [Lebanese] army was beheaded. An official statement will be made soon.”

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He attached pictures purporting to be of the slain soldier.

So far there has been no official statement by Lebanon on the apparent killing of the soldier.

Clashes between the Lebanese army and militants ensued Thursday.

Reuters reported a security source as saying on Thursday that gunmen killed at least one Lebanese soldier when they attacked an army post at the border with Syria near a town seized by Islamist insurgents earlier this month.

Three soldiers were wounded in the clash in the mountainous border zone just outside the town of Arsal, which was held for five days by militants, including fighters affiliated to ISIS, in an incursion that resulted in deadly battles with the army.

The militant forces withdrew on Aug. 7, taking with them 18 captive soldiers and 15 policemen. The five-day battle marked the biggest spillover to date of the Syrian civil war into Lebanon. Dozens of people were killed, including 18 soldiers.

Overnight, the Lebanese army shelled militant positions in the same area. There was no immediate information on casualties.

(With Reuters)