BEIRUT, June 30 (Xinhua) -- Seven soldiers were wounded at dawn Friday when suicide bombers blew themselves up while the army was staging raids on two northeastern Syrian refugee camps.
The army statement said the Lebanese army was on a mission to inspect the Syrian refugee camp of al-Nour in northeastern border town of Arsal when a suicide bomber blew himself up close to the army patrol.
The attacker was killed and three soldiers were seriously wounded, it said.
"Another three suicide bombers blew themselves up later on, without causing injuries to the troops. The terrorists have also detonated a bomb explosive," the statement added.
The army seized four improvised explosive bombs, which were immediately detonated by a military expert.
"An army patrol was on a similar mission in an encampment for displaced Syrians in al-Qarieh, when a suicide bomber blew himself up without inflicting harm on the troops. Another militant threw a hand grenade at the army patrol which left four soldiers slightly injured," added the statement.
The raids, which are aimed at "arresting terrorists and seizing weapons," are still ongoing, the army command said.
Lebanon hosts more than 1.1 million Syrian refugees according to the United Nations Higher Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), but the Lebanese government puts the number around 1.5 million.
About 70,000 Syrian refugees live in the camps in and around Arsal.
The Lebanese army has stepped up its crackdown on fighters connected to the Islamic State militants in the remote area close to the Syria border. Enditem
