The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and the al-Nusra terrorist groups are fighting the Lebanese army in Arsal side by side.

To coordinating their terrorist activities, ISIL and al-Nusra established a joint operations room to manage the battles and to deploy their militants, according to security sources, Al-Manar reported.
The Lebanese army had arrested ISIL's Imad Ahmad Joumaa who was preparing for the group's plot in Arsal and killed "Abu Hasan Al- Falastinin" who was ISIL's leader in Qalamoun.
These strikes led ISIL to speed up carrying out its plot which mainly aims at controlling Arsal town through coordinating with al-Nusra the military attacks against the Lebanese army.
The security sources noted that ISIL's attacks on the Lebanese army in Arsal aims at controlling the bordering town to dwell in it during the winter season as the Syrian army advances in Qalamoun and besieges the terrorists on the rugged barrens of Arsal.