Army Arrests Smugglers, Car Thieves in Brital
The Lebanese Army Command said its troops in the Bekaa Valley, backed by helicopter gunships, arrested an undisclosed number of criminals in a major raid on hideouts in the town of Brital on Wednesday.
A short communique said some suspects remain at large in the remote mountains and a hunt is underway by troops.
The communique did not disclose the number of suspects rounded up in the major operation backed by tanks and armored personnel carriers in a rainy day.
However it said the suspects include car thieves, smugglers of weapons and other illegal items.
The long-awaited bust was "welcomed" by citizens of Brtal and the region, the army communique added without further elaboration.
Local reporters said troops sealed off Brital during the operation as helicopter ginships chased some suspects who tried to escape towards the mountain range abutting Syria.