BEIRUT (Reuters) - Four Lebanese soldiers were killed when their patrol came under fire in the eastern Bekaa Valley on Monday, the army said, in an incident probably linked to tensions with local tribesmen.
The army said in a statement that one officer was also wounded. Earlier, security sources said five soldiers were killed, including an officer.
The army has cracked down on Lebanese tribesmen in recent weeks for various crimes. The attack, on the Reyaq-Baalbek highway, was likely to have been carried out by tribe members seeking revenge, the sources said.
A military vehicle was ambushed by a number of gunmen, the statement said, and the army was pursuing the culprits. Security sources said four men had ambushed the patrol by firing a rocket-propelled grenade and then machine guns.
Witnesses said the army had sent reinforcements to the scene of the attack and towards the northern region of the Bekaa Valley. It had also carried out raids and set up checkpoints.
(Reporting by Afif Diab; editing by Robert Woodward)