Labor Minister Urges Anti-IS Coalition Pledge to Protect Lebanon

Labor Minister Sejaan Qazzi has called on the international coalition fighting the Islamic State terrorist group to defend Lebanon if it was invaded by terrorists.

Qazzi told An Nahar daily published on Tuesday that the Lebanese authorities should officially ask the coalition to make a pledge on protecting Lebanon against terrorist organizations.

“This request is important so that Lebanon's role in the coalition has an output,” said the minister.

He said several states criticized Lebanon that it wanted to “protect” them yet it felt a “shame” to join them.

The U.S.-led coalition was established in September in Jeddah at a meeting led by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to fight the IS, which controls a large swath of Syria and Iraq.

Lebanon, which was represented by Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil at the meeting, was among ten Arab states that rallied behind Washington in the fight against IS jihadists.

But later top officials distanced themselves from the coalition over fears that it would carry out strikes inside Lebanese territories in violation of the country's sovereignty although IS and al-Qaida-linked al-Nusra Front terrorists are threatening Lebanon.

The jihadists don't hold territory in the country but they have established footholds in remote mountains along Lebanon's remote eastern border, from where they launch incursions and clash with the army.

The threat of the extremists first came to Lebanon in August when they overran the northeastern border town of Arsal and took hostage Lebanese soldiers and policemen during deadly clashes with the army.

Last week, the international coalition promised stronger efforts to stop the jihadists and squash the spread of their extremist ideology at an anti-IS coalition meeting in London.

G.K.

H.K.