Lebanese army arrests Fateh al-Sham senior official

The Lebanese army arrested Tuesday a senior official of the fundamentalist Fateh al-Sham, formerly known as al-Nusra Front, in an ambush in the eastern border town of Arsal, the National News Agency reported.

The official was identified as Adnan Mohammed Slaibi, also known as "Zoaiter," said the report, adding that he was transferred to a military post for interrogation.

Al-Nusra Front has recently rebranded itself as Fateh al-Sham Front after announcing a severing of ties with the global jihadist network al-Qaida.

Militants from the group and the rival Islamic State (IS) jihadist group are entrenched in areas along the un-demarcated Lebanese-Syrian border, with the army regularly shelling their posts.

The two groups overran briefly the town of Arsal in 2014 before being ousted by the army after days of deadly battles.

Before retreating, the groups abducted more than 30 Lebanese soldiers and policemen of whom al-Nusra executed four and the IS beheaded one. Nine servicemen are currently under IS captivity. Endit