Report: Army Ups Security Precautions to Counter Terror Plots
The Lebanese army has upped its security measures recently to counter any acts of sabotage that could be carried out by terror groups, a senior security source told al-Joumhouria daily on Wednesday.
The daily added that Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji will issue his Order of the Day marking Army Day on the first of August. Qahwaji will pinpoint the elements of danger that could be threatening Lebanon and will also issue guidance to the military force to maintain high alert to counter any potential menace.
In that regard, al-Mustaqbal daily said that a senior army delegation visited the southern city of Sidon on Tuesday and surveyed the military units in the city and its suburbs. The visit comes in the context of a confirmation on the army's readiness in maintaining stability and confronting any dangers threatening the country, said that daily.
The visit, which was surrounded by tight security procedures, included inspection of the army units and checkpoints at the entrance of the Palestinian refugee camp of Ain el-Hilweh and its surrounding, mainly the neighborhood of al-Taamir and around the State Hospital.
The army was able to arrest 357 Islamic State members during two and a half months period. The accomplishment was described as a major quality operation that triggered an influx of Arab and international intelligence agencies to Lebanon, An Nahar daily reported.
On Tuesday, reports said that the army had obtained information that Imad Yassine, a dangerous emir of the IS in Ain el-Hilweh, has received orders from IS foreign operations chief Abu Khaled al-Iraqi to stage major Iraq-like bombings across Lebanon.
Reports added that terrorist groups are also seeking to “create major chaos, destruction and terror in the various Lebanese regions, especially in Beirut and its southern suburbs, through targeting gatherings and densely-populated areas.”
By long-standing convention, the army does not enter the twelve Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, leaving the Palestinian factions themselves to handle security.
That has created lawless areas in many camps, and Ain el-Hilweh has gained notoriety as a refuge for extremists and fugitives.
But the camp is also home to more than 54,000 registered Palestinian refugees who have been joined in recent years by thousands of Palestinians fleeing the fighting in Syria.
More than 450,000 Palestinians are registered in Lebanon with the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA. Most live in squalid conditions in 12 official refugee camps and face a variety of legal restrictions, including on their employment.
Source: Naharnet
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