Official: Lebanese Shiites seal off Sunni town as Syria-linked hostilities swell in Lebanon

Published January 08, 2015

A local Lebanese official says gunmen from the militant Shiite group Hezbollah and Shiite residents have tightened their chokehold on a Sunni town near the Syrian border.

The standoff around the eastern Lebanese town of Arsal is the latest in an ever-growing spillover of the Syrian conflict into its smaller neighbor.

Ahmad Fliti, the deputy mayor of Arsal, says Shiite gunmen set up roadblocks and closed off the road connecting the town to the rest of Lebanon, angry over recent rocket attacks and a car bombing by blamed on Sunni militants.

Fliti says the gunmen on Tuesday opened fire on cars from Arsal that tried to approach the roadblock.

He says concerns are rising that aid won't be able to reach thousands of Syrian refugees sheltered in Arsal.

URL

https://www.foxnews.com/world/official-lebanese-shiites-seal-off-sunni-town-as-syria-linked-hostilities-swell-in-lebanon