Beirut: A Lebanese military expert was killed and two others were wounded on Wednesday when a bomb they were about to dismantle near the border with Syria exploded, the army said.
The explosion comes a day after an ambush by militants in the same area killed six soldiers and wounded one.
The army said the bomb was found on the outskirts of the town of Arsal on Wednesday morning. Troops found the bomb as an army patrol was combing the area in the aftermath of Tuesday’s ambush near the village of Ras Baalbek.
The predominantly Christian village was almost empty, and few people were seen in the streets. Special forces were taking part in search operations as a Lebanese military aircraft flew overhead.
No one has so far claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s ambush or for planting the bomb that was discovered on Wednesday.
Lebanese troops have been battling Syria-based Islamist militants, including the extremist Daesh and the Al Qaida-linked Al Nusra Front, in areas near the border.
In August, the militant groups seized some 20 Lebanese soldiers and police officers during a brief cross-border raid on Arsal. The extremists have already killed three of the captives, beheading two of them.
