Car bomb targets Lebanon army near Syria border

A suicide bomber in an explosives-laden car targeted a Lebanese army checkpoint near the Syrian border on today, killing three soldiers, the Lebanese military said.
The attack near the eastern border town of Arsal came after forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad routed rebels from two Syrian villages lying just across the border.
The bombing demonstrated how far the war in neighboring Syria has sucked in its fragile neighbour, igniting violent sectarian tensions between Sunni extremists in Lebanon against the country's Shiites, and ensnaring even the military.
Sunni extremists have accused Lebanon's military of being partial to their rivals, the Shiite group Hezbollah, whose fighters are waging war in Syria alongside Assad's forces.

The bomb killed three soldiers and wounded another four, a military statement said. Military helicopters were rushing to rescue the wounded from the rugged mountainous area, said the army statement.
The Ahrar al-Sunna in Baalbek Brigade, an extremist Sunni group, claimed responsibility for the bombing.

The group described the attack as a "heroic operation that targeted the crusader army in Arsal" in a message posted on Twitter.
The group said the bombing was to avenge the Lebanese army killing of a suspected militant during an arrest raid on Thursday, and for Hezbollah's participation in the Syrian conflict.
The Shiite group "should not think it will not be punished for killing innocents in Syria," one message read. "As long as Sunnis in Lebanon are targeted, be assured we will respond," said another.

The bombing shook windows in the town of Asral, less than one kilometre away, said deputy mayor Ahmad Fliti. "People rushed outside to see what was happening, but the military closed off the area," he said.