Beirut, October 19 (RHC)-- An explosion in northeast Lebanon has killed at least eight people in what some reports have described as an army rocket attack on militants positions. Lebanese sources said Monday that 11 people were wounded in the blast on the outskirts of the restive town of Arsal, which is located near the Lebanese-Syrian border.

A security source told the Lebanese newspaper The Daily Star that most of the casualties were militants operating in Wadi Hmayed, near the town of al-Malahi, east of Arsal. The report said an investigation has been launched into the incident. Police and security forces have cordoned off the area where the blast occurred.

A report by al-Mayadeen TV said the blast targeted a group of Takfiri militants, affirming that several militants were killed and injured in the incident.

For months, the Lebanese army has been carrying out operations around Arsal, where thousands of militants of the Takfiri group Nusra Front, known for its terrorist activities in neighboring Syria, as well as members of the Daesh terror group, are believed to be operating in the area.