BEIRUT: The Army chief vowed Friday to crush Syria-based jihadis threatening to destabilize Lebanon, as troops geared up for possible retaliatory attacks by militants in response to their expulsion from two key positions on the northeastern border with Syria, a senior military official said.
The remarks by Army commander Gen. Jean Kahwagi came a day after Lebanese troops drove Islamist militants out of two strategic hilltop outposts on the outskirts of the northeastern Bekaa town of Ras Baalbek in a pre-emptive strike aimed at fending off jihadis holed up in the rugged border area with Syria.
Kahwagi traveled to Ras Baalbek Friday along with Defense Minister Samir Moqbel to meet with troops in what was seen as a morale-boosting visit to Army units deployed around the mainly Christian town and other areas near the border with Syria.
“The Army has no choice but to win over terrorism,” Kahwagi told troops during an inspection tour of military units deployed in Ras Baalbek, where he was briefed by officers on the conditions of soldiers and field measures taken following the swift operation on the town’s outskirts at dawn Thursday aimed at preventing terrorist groups from infiltrating Lebanese territories.
He praised the continuing sacrifices made by soldiers on the eastern frontier with Syria “to protect villages and towns near this border from the infiltration of terrorist organizations and their attacks.”
“The qualitative military operation, which was carried out yesterday [Thursday] and was crowned with great success, reflected the Army’s firm decision to fight terrorism and ward off its danger from citizens,” Kahwagi said. “Ensuring the border’s safety from infiltration and aggression is the first defense line [to safeguard] Lebanon’s unity, security and stability.”
A senior military official said the Army was gearing up for the possibility of militants retaliating for their expulsion from the hilltop positions of Sadr al-Jarash and Harf al-Jarash, northeast of Tallet al-Hamra on the outskirts of Ras Baalbek.
“The Army is always ready for all eventualities, including the possibility of the terrorists launching retaliatory attacks in response to their defeat on the outskirts of Ras Baalbek,” the official told The Daily Star.
“The Army will continue its pre-emptive operations as part of its ongoing battle against terrorism.” On the significance of Kahwagi’s trip to Ras Baalbek, the official said: “The visit was meant to send out a strong message that the Army is determined in its battle against terrorism.”
According to the official, the Army Friday morning sporadically pounded militants’ hideouts on the northeastern border with Syria with rockets and artillery fire, a day after troops killed at least three Islamists in the pre-emptive operation on the outskirts of Ras Baalbek. The Army said three soldiers were lightly wounded during Thursday’s clashes with the militants believed to be affiliated with ISIS.
For his part, Moqbel commended troops for demonstrating a “high skill in combat in driving out the terrorists so quickly from two strategic hilltops in Ras Baalbek.” He congratulated soldiers on “this great achievement … in the face of terrorism.”
Thursday’s operation has “proved, beyond any doubt, that the Army is professional and cohesive with a solid patriotic ideology free of political and sectarian poisons,” Moqbel said.
“The Army only lacks more qualitative weapons and equipment, which we hope to receive soon,” he said, clearly referring to French weapons funded by a $3 billion Saudi grant to bolster the military’s capabilities in the battle against terrorism.
The French Defense Ministry said Wednesday that it would begin shipping $3 billion worth of weapons paid for by Saudi Arabia to the Lebanese Army in April.
Under the deal first announced in 2013, France would supply French armored vehicles, warships, attack helicopters, munitions and communication gear to the Lebanese military.
In a TV interview later Friday, Kahwagi said the Saudi-funded French weapons to the Army were on the right track.
“The money has been transferred and the Army Command is waiting for the arrival of a French delegation [in Beirut] to put the final touches to the deal,” he said. He added that the Army’s pre-emptive attack on the outskirts of Ras Baalbek was 100 percent successful.
The policy of pre-emptive shelling was put in place after eight soldiers, including an officer, were killed and 22 others were wounded in fierce clashes with ISIS militants on the outer edge of Ras Baalbek last month.
Meanwhile, Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk said the security situation in Lebanon was under control despite the mounting threats posed by ISIS and the Nusra Front, which are still holding 25 Lebanese soldiers and policemen hostage on the outskirts of the northeastern town of Arsal.
“Lebanon is threatened by crises that are threatening the other countries in the Arab world where there are takfiri organizations,” Machnouk told reporters after meeting Arab League chief Nabil Elaraby in Cairo Friday. “However, the [security] situation in Lebanon is under control. We are capable of tackling matters with the minimum losses.”
Machnouk said he had discussed with Elaraby the situation in Lebanon, including the “obstacles that are preventing the election of a president.”
