Army chief hits back at Bassil: Only the army is confronting refugee influxes

Army Commander General Joseph Aoun on Thursday snapped back anew at Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil over the latter’s criticism of the military’s handling of the Syrian refugee crisis.

“Today the army is facing various and increasing challenges on the various levels, whether inside the country or along the border. And despite the economic crisis and its repercussions, army personnel are carrying out their duties with all due enthusiasm and conviction and to the fullest, in all the missions assigned to them on land, at sea and in the air,” Aoun said.

“Perhaps the Syrian refugee crisis is the main challenge that the army is currently facing, whether through infiltration through the land border or the illegal migration by sea,” the army chief added.

“The refugee influxes notably increased over the past months and we have repeatedly warned of them and asked all parties to shoulder their responsibilities,” Aoun went on to say.

“Only the army is currently confronting this challenge, despite the geographic, logistic and personnel complications, and it is facing suspicious campaigns against it on daily basis,” the commander lamented, in an apparent reference to Bassil’s recent statements.