Five Lebanese soldiers were wounded Friday after a bomb targeted their patrol in northeastern town of Arsal, a day after a deadly blast rocked the border town, killing at least four and wounding seven. The blast went off at 11:50 a.m. in the Sabil neighborhood of Arsal, according to an Army statement. The explosion caused damage to an armored carrier and slightly wounded five soldiers. A security source told The Daily Star that the Army patrol was en route to base after conducting an inspection of Thursday's explosion site when they were targeted. The Army sent troops to cordon off the area and fired shots in the air in an effort to disperse people who rushed to the scene. The source also said that immediately following the blast the convoy came under fire from a nearby Syrian refugee camp. The Army returned fire on the source of aggression. Ambulances then rushed to the scene and transferred the wounded to nearby hospitals for treatment. An explosives expert soon arrived on the scene and began examining evidence. The Military Police was tasked with following up on the investigation. A senior military source told The Daily Star that the design of the bomb was simple and made with TNT. The bombing comes one day after a suspected suicide bomber on a motorbike blew himself up during a meeting in the Sabil neighborhood of the Committee of Qalamoun Scholars, killing at least four. The area has been relatively quiet and uneventful for the past three months. "We don't know why they [the culprits] decided to escalate things these past two days," the Army source said. "The area is quiet now but we are keeping a watchful eye." Early Friday evening, Army units shelled key targets in the region. "We picked up movements from the rebels in the mountain and we shelled them accordingly ... it was not a prolonged operation," the senior Army source said. The French Foreign Ministry's spokesperson Roman Nadal said that the perpetrators of "these crimes will not remain unpunished," in reference to Thursday's explosions. The Arsal border area has been hit by several deadly car bombs and suicide attacks in the past two years, most have targeted military outposts. "There are those who do not want Arsal to be a safe and secure area ... and these people are now known" Arsal's Mayor Ali al-Hujeiri told the Central News Agency. "We reiterate and confirm that we are always on the Army's side ... no one in the town has an interest in compromising the security situation," he added. Hujeiri also claimed that foreign interference had caused the two explosions. Islamist militants have been entrenched in the rugged mountains around Arsal following clashes with the Army in August 2014. The battle erupted after gunmen affiliated with ISIS and Nusra Front attempted to seize the town. Also Friday, Army commander Gen. Jean Kahwagi inspected security in the Rafik Hariri International Airport. "We should continue our efforts in strengthening these [security] procedures in cooperation with the relevant bodies in order to safeguard this vital port," Kahwagi said. Following his inspection he met with MEA Chairman Mohammad Hout and several members of the board of directors. They briefed Kahwagi on existing safety procedures especially those pertaining to the security of a recently inaugurated shipping department.
