Lebanese army take full control of eastern highway

Beirut: Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) says government forces have taken full control of a highway in the country’s northeast once patrolled by gunmen.

The agency said on Saturday the army is in charge of all checkpoints on the road linking the towns of Arsal and Hermel near the Syrian border.

Members of the Hezbollah group used to search cars amid a wave of car bombs that killed scores of people. NNA said after Saturday’s deployment, only troops will be searching cars there.

Syria’s civil war has spilled over into Lebanon on multiple occasions and inflamed sectarian tensions. Lebanese Sunnis often back the Sunni rebels and Shiites frequently support President Bashar Al Assad.

Violence along the highway has been attributed to the civil war, now in its fourth year.