Diab Visits Army Barrack in Eastern Border
Prime Minister Hassan Diab visited on Friday the barracks of Elias el-Khoury in the eastern border town of Ras Baalbek and placed a flower wreath on a memorial statue of soldiers killed during the 2017 operation “Dawn of the Outskirts” in Ras Baalbek and el-Qaa against the terrorist Islamic State group.
“The army is our hope of rooted national belonging, guarding civil peace, protecting security and imposing the State's authority,” said Diab in remarks he made addressing soldiers.
“The army is a living example of the Lebanese aspirations for a homeland in which they live in safety and stability outside sectarian, and political alignments,” added the PM.
On the military’s ongoing efforts to curb smuggling through the porous borders with Syria, he said: “We will pursue efforts to stop smuggling by closing the illegal crossings that cause great damage to the state and benefit a handful of smugglers. The outskirts will remain hard to break because of the army’s protection.”
Defense Minister Zeina Akar and Army chief Jospeh Aoun accompanied Diab.
Source: Naharnet
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