Lebanese troops arrive in the town of Arsal in the Bekaa valley by the Syrian border on August 2, 2014 (AFP Photo/)

(VOVworld)- Gunmen have killed 4 Lebanese soldiers in clashes that erupted near the border with Syria after the army detained a suspected jihadist from the war-torn country, the military said Sunday. The clashes are some of the worst violence to hit the tense border area of Arsal since the beginning of the war in neighboring Syria in 2011, with gunmen attacking Lebanese soldiers and police. They broke out on Saturday afternoon, after the detention of a Syrian man who the army said admitted being a member of Al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, Al-Nusra Front. On Sunday morning, the fighting was continuing, and the army said it had lost eight soldiers. The military said army units continued military operations in the Arsal area and its surroundings throughout the night and into the morning, pursuing and engaging armed groups.