Army Says Endeavors Decreased Car Bombings, Uncovered Prominent Fugitives

The Lebanese Army said on Thursday that security measures undertaken by it reduced the occurrence of suicide attacks in the country and led to the arrest of prominent fugitives.

“The intensified security measure undertaken by the army units across the country reduced significantly the occurrence car bombings,” the army said in a communique issued by the army command.

It noted that car bombings was withdrawn from being discussed after it was a point of contention among the political arch-foes over the reasons behind the explosions and their motives.

“Security endeavors are ongoing to detect explosive-laden vehicles and the culprits involved,” the army said in its statement.

It pointed out that the army was able to arrest prominent fugitives and seize several booby-trapped vehicles thus tightening the grip on the terrorist groups.

In February, a massive suicide car explosion targeted an army checkpoint for the first time in the Bekaa town of Hermel, killing two soldiers and wounding several others.

The attack was claimed by Al-Nusra Front in Lebanon.

Hermel, in the Bekaa Valley where Hizbullah has a strong presence, has seen multiple attacks in recent months related to the war raging in neighboring Syria.

The army communique said that military units detained in February around 870 people from different nationalities.

“Some detainees had arrest warrants against them, other were charged with committing various crimes such as the lack of legal permits, possession and drugs trafficking...,” the statement said.

The army recently defused several explosive-laden vehicles. The cars are suspected to enter Lebanon from Syrian territories.

It had also announced the arrest of several dangerous fugitives, some involved in the recent car bombings ripping through residential areas.

The army communique added that the measures carried out by the army in Tripoli decreased tension between the rival neighborhoods of Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen despite the ongoing sectarian and political incitement.

“Individual incidents are still occurring over the arrest of suspects, which are usually accompanied by attacks on army posts,” the army said.

Tripoli has been the scene of frequent deadly clashes between Alawite residents of the Jabal Mohsen district, who hail from the same religious sect as Syrian President Bashar Assad, and Sunnis in neighboring Bab al-Tabbaneh who support the Syrian rebels.

Tripoli's population is 80 percent Sunni and 11 percent Alawite -- an offshoot of Shiite Islam -- and violence between the two communities dates back to Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war.