Two soldiers and six wanted suspects were killed at dawn Monday in an exchange of fire during a raid by the army north of Beirut, a security source told The Daily Star.
The source said that the army intelligence was engaged in an armed battle with drug dealers in White Night Club in Maameltein.
Military Prosecutor Judge Saqr Saqr arrived to inspect the scene, it added.
First-Sergeant M.Kh was transferred to Saint Louis Hospital Jounieh's Haret Sakher area and M.R. was admitted to Kesrouan hospital. They both succumbed to their wounds upon their arrival.
Four of the suspects, according to the source, were identified as Mohammad Hussein Zeaiter, Mahdi Hussein Zeaiter, Ali Ibrahim Ayyoub and Hamza Bassam Aziz.
Mirna Hassan and another unidentified girl were killed during the gun battle, while four other men and two girls present at the scene were wounded.
The army cordoned off the area and erected checkpoints, inspecting vehicles and preventing traffic and passersby from approaching.
The Traffic Management Center tweeted that traffic was diverted from the inner routes of Ghazir to the highway due to security measures enforced by the army.
The heavy traffic suffocated the highway following the closure of the seaside road in Jounieh.
