World Bulletin / News Desk

Unidentified militants on Wednesday kidnapped an army officer as he visited relatives on the outskirts of the eastern Lebanese town of Arsal, a Lebanese military source has said.

The source, preferring anonymity, told Anadolu Agency on Wednesday that militants in two vehicles had stormed the home of the officer's relatives and abducted him.

The source did not, however, provide any information on the kidnappers' identities.

Arsal, a Lebanese town on the border with Syria, made headlines early last month after fierce fighting broke out in the town between Lebanese troops and two militant groups fighting the regime in Syria.

Seventeen Lebanese troops were killed in the clashes, while the two militant groups also managed to capture several Lebanese soldiers, who they continue to hold.

On Wednesday, a leader of the Al-Nusra Front, one of the two militant groups holding the captured Lebanese soldiers, declined to say whether his group was involved in Wednesday's kidnapping.

The leader, who hails from the Syrian town of Qalamoun, urged relevant parties to learn the facts before making unfounded accusations against his group.

A source from the ISIL, meanwhile, the second militant group that is holding the Lebanese soldiers, likewise declined to say whether his group was involved in the officer's kidnapping.