Fresh Syrian airstrikes hit Lebanon's embattled Arsal

Syrian military planes on Saturday launched strikes against militant groups in the north-eastern Lebanese town of Arsal, leaving several people dead and others injured.

An Anadolu reporter in the area said that Syrian military planes targeted concentrations of militants in the Wadi al-Khail, a district of the northern town.

The reporter added that some of the injured victims of the strikes were immediately taken to a field hospital in the town for treatment.

There has as yet been no official comment from either the Syrian government or the Lebanese government on the strikes.

There have been numerous Syrian airstrikes on Arsal, with the most recent attack hitting the town with air-to-ground missiles on Wednesday.

Fierce clashes erupted earlier this month in Arsal between the Lebanese army and militant groups affiliated to the Syrian opposition.

Around 17 Lebanese troops were killed in the clashes and several others wounded. The militants also captured several Lebanese troops.

Clashes between Lebanese armed forces and militias caused residents of the town to flee last week.

More than 106,000 Syrians have fled the violence back in their home country and arrived in Arsal to live alongside its original 30,000 Lebanese residents.  

Syrian forces bombed the same district, Wadi al-Khail, on 6 July – no casualties were reported after war planes dropped four bombs on the town.

The Syrian Network for Human Rights issued a report on Saturday estimating that up to 85,000 people have been forcibly disappeared by President Assad's forces since the beginning of the conflict in 2011.