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World Bulletin / News Desk

Four Lebanese soldiers and two gunmen were killed during clashes in the country's northern Bekaa Valley on Friday after gunmen attacked a Lebanese army unit, security sources said.

The sources said fighting was continuing in the area, near the northeastern town of Arsal, a region close to the border with Syria where rebels are fighting to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad.

Residents said the clash broke out after the army entered the area to arrest a suspected member of the anti-Assad group Jabhat al-Nusra, who was believed to travel frequently between Lebanon and Syria.

Syrian rebels have hidden and regrouped in towns and villages on the mountainous Lebanese side of the poorly demarcated border during the revolt, which started with peaceful protests but turned violent after a crackdown.

Syria's army has lobbed mortars over the border and even crossed into its smaller neighbour to fight rebels. Syrian troops have also shot civilian refugees fleeing violence.