Several IS Gunmen Killed in Hizbullah Shelling near al-Qaa

Several members of the Islamic State group were killed on Thursday in shelling as they attempted to infiltrate Lebanon, reported al-Manar television.

It said that Hizbullah fighters shelled the movements of the gunmen as they tried to infiltrate the outskirts of al-Qaa, leaving several dead.

On Wednesday, Hizbullah killed an al-Qaida commander and eight of his men in an attack on their convoy along the Lebanese-Syrian border.

Al-Manar television said the convoy of al-Qaida affiliate al-Nusra Front fighters had been traveling on the outskirts of the restive Lebanese border town of Arsal when Hizbullah struck.

The clashes come just days after al-Nusra freed 16 Lebanese soldiers and police it captured more than a year ago from the northeastern border town of Arsal.

The swap deal partially ended a long-running hostage crisis, but nine other servicemen taken prisoner at the same time are still held by the IS.

Arsal lies along Lebanon's border with Syria and it hosts many Syrian refugees as well as rebel fighters in the surrounding countryside.