Blast in Lebanese border town targets Syrian clerics

An explosion rocked the town of Arsal on Lebanon's border with Syria, targeting a meeting of the Qalamoun Muslim Scholars Committee.

At least nine people were killed in the explosion, including the chairman of the committee, Othman Mansour (Syrian), and several others were wounded.

The body of a suicide bomber who may have detonated the explosives was reportedly taken to a hospital in Arsal.

According to several reports, the alleged suicide bomber was riding a motorcycle when he detonated the explosives.

It was first not clear if the explosion was the result of a car bomb or if explosives were planted in a shop.

The Qalamoun Muslim Scholars Committee is considered to be a moderate group of religious scholars who deal with legal matters concerning the Syrian refugees who reside in Arsal, such as marriages, divorces, and minor disputes.

Local sources have said that Islamic State group and the Nusra Front who are holed up in the rugged mountains around Arsal were not happy about the committee's independent activities in the town.