Aoun Calls on Govt. to 'Liberate' Arsal Outskirts from Extremists
Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun lamented on Sunday the government's inaction regarding the rising threat of extremism on the outskirts of the northeastern border town of Arsal.
He warned: “We call on the state to liberate the outskirts from the clutches of extremists.”
He made his remarks during a speech before his supporters in the eastern city of Zahle.
The lawmaker stressed the need to differentiate between the actual town of Arsal and its outskirts.
“The large area occupied by the gunmen in the outskirts poses a threat to Lebanon,” Aoun added.
“The region could be used as a launching point for attacks,” he warned.
Hizbullah, backed by Syrian forces, has recently controlled strategic areas in Qalamoun that abuts Lebanon's eastern border, amid continuing clashes in the region.
Hizbullah cites fear of militants from the Islamic State group and al-Qaida-affiliated al-Nusra Front sweeping through Lebanese Shiite and Christian border villages as one of the main reasons for its involvement in Syria.
Some observers however fear the Qalamoun offensive could prompt Islamist militants to launch attacks in Shiite areas of Lebanon itself, including Beirut's southern suburbs.
Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah had last week hinted that his group would try and eliminate the militants of the IS and al-Nusra from Arsal's outskirts if the Lebanese state failed to do so.
M.T.
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