Suleiman in Surprise Visit to Arsal: Assailants behind Attacks Will Be Arrested Sooner or Later
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
President Michel Suleiman stressed on Wednesday that the time will come when assailants who attacked the army will be arrested.
He said: “The assailants behind these terrorist attacks will be arrested an punished sooner or later.”
He made his remarks during a surprise visit to the the northeastern town of Arsal after three soldiers were killed by unidentified gunmen in the area, stressing that the army is the only guarantee for Lebanon's safety.
“The Army Command has the complete support to implement its plans,” he added.
“Some sides are attempting to exploit the army as a form of political cover and they are trying to fragment the institution to acquire protection for a certain sect within it,” stated Suleiman.
“No more martyrs will fall should the army remain inactive, but it will come at the price of the eruption of a civil war in Lebanon,” he declared.
“We will continue our duties and we will continue to withstand the blows against us for the sake of our people and nation,” said the president.
Addressing officials who are criticizing the army, he remarked: “Their only concern is gaining votes for the parliamentary elections.”
“The developments in Syria pain us, but we have to defend ourselves and our nation,” he added.
“We must protect our country and prevent the neighboring crisis from spreading to us,” he demanded.
Suleiman made the trip aboard a military helicopter accompanied by Army chief Gen. Jean Qahwaji and state commissioner to the military court Judge Saqr Saqr who has tasked the army intelligence and military police with carrying out a preliminary investigation into the attack.
The helicopter landed in the Ras Baalbek barracks of a military unit tasked with protecting the border. The president then headed in a motorcade to Arsal.
Unidentified gunmen opened fire at a military checkpoint in the northern entrance to Arsal in the area of Wadi Hmeid at dawn Tuesday, killing the three soldiers of the army’s 6th brigade.
Sources have said that the gunmen, who were in a black humvee, sped to the Syrian territories after the assault.
March 14 general-secretariat coordinator Fares Soaid was among the first officials to react to Suleiman's visit, describing it as “a courageous act.”
“We hope that it would be productive in terms of unveiling the circumstances of the attack,” he said on twitter.
29 May 2013, 09:49
12
Why is he not publically asking Assad to apprehend the suspects since they sped to the Syrian territories after the assault. Or is that also politically not correct for the president.
29 May 2013, 21:27
00
Maybe because talking crap on tv isn't the safest thing for a Lebanese politician at the moment.
29 May 2013, 10:40
64
Mr. Brezident trying to polish his image after yesterday's Eid's press conference.
29 May 2013, 12:45
14
when somebody does not please FPM or go against their petty interests then they try anything to smear his reputation and forget all the lauds they had said about him before... and the contrary is also true!
29 May 2013, 14:19
11
"Suleiman called in a statement on Tuesday for striking with an iron fist all those who attack the army and security forces."
Suleiman should have made that speech in Tripoli where more soldiers have been wounded and killed than anywhere else ...
29 May 2013, 16:22
00
most of the wounded soldiers in Tripoli were wounded by ali eid men for your information.
29 May 2013, 21:31
00
Mckinl, had Suleiman spoken in tripoli, u woulda said he should be in qusayr! Criticize the one that hold real power in Lebanon...
29 May 2013, 14:20
21
Why do we do not hear of impending measures in Tripoli, simple measures that would give the army the upper hand such as curfews and arrest warrants?
29 May 2013, 16:23
10
because of the red line imposed by hizbushaitan on the army taking action against ali eid.
it is hizbushaitan who is embolding this Syrian thug ali eid and protecting him from being apprehended.
29 May 2013, 16:36
10
@ geha
What do curfews have to do with Eid? The curfews must come first as you well know ...
Did Hez draw red lines on curfews? Of course not. Curfews would give the army advantage in engagement and policing ...
29 May 2013, 17:06
00
hizbushaitan is behind these incidents in Tripoli to divert attention from what they are ding, and to undermine the state more in a bid to take over controlling it under false pretences.
29 May 2013, 17:16
00
@ geha
Hez is behind the Tripoli violence? Hez is being hurt by the bad PR over the violence in Lebanon including Tripoli. Tripoli could be resolved through curfews and warrants but that would hurt rebel supplies.
Your conjecture is nothing but PR to cover the violence caused by Wahhabis and political parties to destabilize Lebanon to discredit Hez and M8.
29 May 2013, 14:23
21
The issue with Suleiman is not corruption but competence. Through his inaction and that of Mikati the situation has intensified to make it even more difficult to handle ...
The actions of the security forces need stand apart from politics. The behavior and management of the security forces by Mikati and Suleiman has lead to escalation.
29 May 2013, 16:25
11
go tell that to hizbushaitan who is pacing red lines on the roper solution to what is going on in Tripoli.
29 May 2013, 17:11
01
your hizbushaitan sole aim is to totally control Lebanon to execute the Iranian agendas.
that leads us to your Iranian agendas which is in short provoke an international agreement whereby they would control the area between iran and the Mediterranean sea which would be recognized by western powers as their area of influence.
however iran has discovered a while back that there will not be any agreement with them, even, they are not welcome on any discussion table for Syria: their role is not accepted.
29 May 2013, 17:15
01
so, ran's interest is to keep making any sort of problems across the area so they are included in discussions in the hope they get something.
this is why you see issues across the region created by iran and its allies.
iran will have no deal, they will be ousted from Syria, hizbushaitan will be decimated, and iran will then implode from within.
granted this will take some time, around another year to happen.
29 May 2013, 17:23
10
@ geha ~ " Iranian agendas which is in short provoke an international agreement whereby they would control the area between iran and the Mediterranean sea which would be recognized by western powers as their area of influence."
Billions of dollars have been spent by the US-GCC cabal to create tension and violence across the region. It has been the US-GCC cabal that has destabilized Iraq, Syria and now Lebanon ... not Iran ... You have it all backwards dear geha.
29 May 2013, 21:39
00
Mckinl, but the issue with the rest of em is both corruption and incompetence. All of them. Political and religious leaders, all corrupt and incompetent. At least Suleiman is ahead by 50% lol
29 May 2013, 14:42
21
"Suleiman called in a statement on Tuesday for striking with an iron fist all those who attack the army and security forces."
Suleiman should have made that speech in Tripoli where more soldiers have been wounded and killed than anywhere else ...
Yet we do not hear of impending measures, simple measures that would give the army the upper hand such as curfews and arrest warrants.
Suleiman and Mikati are all bark and no bite ... Posturing and pronouncements while the situation deteriorates.
The morale of the army is now only being held up by the support of the people while the leadership purposely plays political games.
29 May 2013, 20:05
00
@the1 your use of the words "flaunted" & "flaunt"completely change what I believe you meant to say, I think words like, circumvented, shunned, usurped and circumvent, shun and usurp the constitution and the law is really the point you are trying to make? Forgive my trespass if I am wrong. I just really liked the spirit of what you are saying.
29 May 2013, 21:00
00
You had no one behind you except britain which gave you the weapons needed to steal a land ashkenazi european fake jews recently had arrived to.
29 May 2013, 21:21
00
A few years back I was in Florida, n remember constantly watching commercials on tv, of Christian evangelist organizations asking for donations to pay for the resettlement of Russian Jews. How does that seem ok?
But anyway, asaf, to answer ur question... How many did Israel lose against a small group like hizballah?
29 May 2013, 21:26
00
I'm not sure what everyone expects from this man. Lol we say nothing to the 7 or so men in charge of everything in Lebanon, but we throw sht 3a wa7ad ma khaso.
