Army Command Stresses Keenness on Places of Worship, Vows to 'Suppress Sedition'
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
The Army Command on Monday stressed its "keenness on places of worship" after its troops closed in on Sheikh Ahmed al-Asir's gunmen who entrenched themselves in the Bilal bin Rabah Mosque in Abra.
"Army units continue their military operations in the city of Sidon and the area of Abra to stamp down armed activities, arrest those who attacked army positions and restore security and stability,” the Command said in a statement.
“A lot of gunmen fired sniper shots at army troops while using religious centers as barricades, in addition to turning innocent civilians into human shields to avoid direct confrontation with army forces,” the statement added.
The Army Command stressed its “total keenness on places of worship and the lives of citizens,” while calling on “the gunmen who attacked army positions and citizens … to surrender their weapons and turn themselves in immediately to army forces to avoid further bloodshed.”
The Command noted that it knows the identities of the aforementioned gunmen “one by one.”
It stressed that “the army will press on with its efforts to suppress strife,” adding that its units “will not halt their military operations until security is fully restored in the city and its surroundings and until everyone abides by law and order.”
The Command also called on citizens, “especially those present in the conflict zone or inside al-Asir's complex and its surroundings, who are facing security problems, to contact the Army Command's Operations Directorate on the phone numbers 1701 and 01422245 in order to address these problems as soon as possible and evacuate them if necessary.”
In a previous statement, the Command said the number of troops killed in the fighting that erupted at noon Sunday rose to 16. There were also more than 50 injuries among the ranks of the soldiers.
A source close to Asir said at least five of his supporters had also been killed.
24 June 2013, 16:25
98
Every incident like this is one step closer to the realization " we need to arm up to face hezb"
24 June 2013, 17:42
55
what is the proof that Aseer attacked the army? where was the investigation?
24 June 2013, 17:56
56
Time to demand that no armed groups are allowed in Lebanon - no matter who they are. This include the Hizb, Al Assir, Salafist group, Saraya the Moqawama, etc...
24 June 2013, 21:14
34
Not to defend Assir, but there's no proof that Assir attacked first. It could be that the soldiers standing at the checkpoint had their orders from HA. Is there proof?
You deny our claims that HA and Bachar killed Hariri, because we don't have proof..... Kamen double standards?
24 June 2013, 21:59
33
FT, do you have a proof that the Assir started it? Sure they retaliated (and they shouldnt have done so). Do you have a proof?
You know that we m14ers wish nothing else than the army being in charge of Lebanon's defense..... But we seem to be the only ones.
24 June 2013, 16:27
54
go ahead and create a martyr so that we will enjoy suicide bombers for several years to come.
24 June 2013, 16:54
34
I would drink that 3assir everyday with extra she'af Hassan Nassrallah and honey on top !
24 June 2013, 16:55
00
Geha, we wont turn him into a martyr, we will make kafta out of him...
24 June 2013, 17:17
39
"You guys" ? Who are "you guys" ?
Are you saying anyone against Hezbollah is Pro-Assir ? Is this how narrow-minded your view of the world is ?
Can you only count from 1 to 2 ? You know that the world offers infinite possibilities beyond what your very very simple mind can grasp.
You know there are other political views you moron ...
Yes, all Anti-Hezbollah are canibal Assir worshippers... of course.
According to Mowaten, if you disagree with Hezbollah, you are obviously : A Sunni, Saudi Funded, American Supported, Israeli loving, Cannibal terrorist extremist. There can be no other way.
Half the christians in Lebanon (FT will disagree with this number) are now all sunni cannibals!
can't wait to eat you up Mowaten! Mow mow ...
24 June 2013, 16:44
68
Our army boys are giving their blood, their limbs and their lives to protect our country and our freedom and this is how you say thank you. Shame on you.
hezbollah's weapons are a problem. 100 percent true. But this is not the issue now. Now our country is under attack and we need to be united behind our army to fight the terrorists.
24 June 2013, 17:16
25
assir commited a grave mistake,he is finished,he will be annihilated completely by the army that's no doubt about it...as for the army it will be a new era,becose what is b4 assir will never be like after.
the army after saida will impose itself to all arms outside the legality, or bibi....
24 June 2013, 17:24
00
Stop at people trying to link it with Hezbollah. Hezbollah is fighting in Syria, sunnis extremists have been fighting in Syria for years now, a lot before Hezbollah started to do. But what happen in Syria must stay in Syria.
Sunnis extremists would rather kill shias and army personnel in Lebanon just because Hezbollah is fighting in Syria? Hezbollah fighting in Syria doesn't affect anything in Lebanon. If the sunni extremists are against that, they should move back to fight in Syria.
But here they are importing the conflict in Lebanon and are launching attack on the neutral national army.
To sum it up, if you are against Hezbollah involvement in Syria, go to Syrian, pick up a weapon and fight in Syria.
Do not import conflict in Lebanon and do not attack the national institutions
24 June 2013, 17:27
44
To Antibiotic ya Marid,,,, We are all with the Army, and the Army will crush Asir , how can you support a guy that kill our soldiers ?
24 June 2013, 17:41
00
Pakistan never ever elect mullahs( Religious wahabis) but our establishment / ruling elites are controlled by Saudi arabia and America . This is the reason taliban has killed more than 70000 pakistanis but our establishment is not willing to take action or fight against these uneducated wahabi jihadists .
24 June 2013, 17:54
00
No one talks about our Army like that. You talk about prostitutes, you live among them. In your family or any close relatives?
For the administrator of this blog at Naharnet, How do you let this idiot post something like that.
Anyways, Pretty simple, Have you ever served in the Lebanese army? Let me guess!!! God bless the Army and all security forces in Lebanon. I agree that Lebanon is not an easy place to restore the law overnight. But that doesn't mean you have to insult our Army who is composed of every single religion in Lebanon, from Muslims to Christians.
Respect that's one word with a heavy price. Apply that everyday 24/7 365 and we'll all see the difference.
24 June 2013, 18:00
43
Indeed! just take a look at the picture posted above, which professional army goes to a battlefield wearing beret. Nothing but bunches of douchebags
24 June 2013, 21:19
23
Not their fault but HA's objective has always been to marginalize me and to use them to manage simple tasks such as traffic accidents, thefts, etc...
HA wants them under equipped and under trained.... The Farsi will say Israel wants this. Yet, the M8 government who raised the MPs monthly salary from $11.000 to $19.000 (for life, even after retirement) but don't have money to train our Army.
24 June 2013, 18:04
54
Allah ye7mi jaish. And people, please don't respond to antibiotic all you are doing is dropping your own intellect to his low level.
24 June 2013, 18:23
34
starsky. when some sunnites are fostering and financing salafi terrorism, when most chiites support the farsi party of weapons because he pays them salaries, when the christians are sclerosed in useless intestine old fights, When you are surrounded by an incompetent selfish political class, and you find a lebanese institution fighting and sacrificing for the good of the country, you can say the world GLORIOUS. Ghass min 3an ra2btak.
24 June 2013, 18:30
26
Army cannot act against HA for the simple reason that unfortunately hezbollah IS legality according to the lebanese system today.
HA, the party of iran, of weapons, that invaded beirut, that is stealing the port, that is covering criminals, has more than half the parliament with its allies.
So first war to remove HA's weapons is in parliament and through dialogue. not like those thugs.
24 June 2013, 18:33
43
How are Lebanese to respect an army that crossed an armed checkpoint on a road leading to Irsal without arresting the idiots blocking the road?
24 June 2013, 20:01
24
People, you are either with state institutions and the rule of law or against it. There are no ifs or buts. Assir attacked the Army, a state institution. His men killed OUR soldiers. He must be absolutely and uncompromisingly caught, dead or alive. That's it.
HA is another organisation that is acting outside of the state and they must be dealt with as well. But as much as I loath HA's arms, they are not directly and brazenly attacking the Army so far, and I favor dialog with HA to come to a win-win situation that benefits everyone.
But right now the overriding priority is to crush Assir. You don't deal with Nasrallah's arms by allowing Assir to open his own shop like Nasrallah did.
24 June 2013, 20:46
25
There is a difference between respecting someone's opinion and actually agreeing with it. I'm trying all I can to keep this discussion civil, but unfortunately you keep doing your best to excel at cheap shots. Enjoy.
24 June 2013, 21:15
13
The one bending down in the front was martyred by Assir's men.... No one should have weapons in Lebanon other than the Lebanese Army . . . . . NO ONE
Otherwise, we will always have instability
24 June 2013, 22:32
01
Hey, With all the land addition in the sea in the past 20 years, it is 10,452+
24 June 2013, 21:54
24
Yes, your bosses loved Colonel Hassan.....
Man, the only people blowing up others are Syria/HA. He had too many proofs against Hassan.
24 June 2013, 22:06
25
Here is the "SIMPLE" math of what is happening and what is yet to happen. Sunni's more and more are starting to realize that if a Hizbullah member comes to their home and kills them or their family the security forces are not going to lift a finger to stop them or apprehend them that is now a "FACT", so Sunni's and Shia that don't agree with HA policy, and maybe some other factions will start arming themselves on individual basis to protect their family, than neighborhoods will start alliances to protect their neighbourhood instead of each one's family which will increase their effectiveness, and so on until you are going to have militias, THAN you'll have the start of the new civil war.
24 June 2013, 22:50
24
The we'll end up with Sunni equivalents of jaafar, meqdad, terrorists... HA is aware of it, yet they won't do anything about it. It says it all about their political and military agenda.... And religious one of course.
24 June 2013, 23:10
23
They know history well. They know Lebanese Sunni are not fighters and unless there is an outside intervention they will be able to control the Sunni community in no time.
24 June 2013, 23:12
41
This makes little sense because I have no recollection of any such event happening, i.e. Hizbullah members haphazardly knocking down doors and killing people left and right.
25 June 2013, 04:55
00
An innocent man got killed right infront of the eyes of our "supposed" protectors and the killer walked free. Hizbullah invaded Beirut ransacked stores stormed houses to set watch ports and our protector again stood by watching them.
25 June 2013, 00:35
23
i wonder if FT and moooowaten would still be behind the lebanese army if they wanted to disarm hezbis.... i am sure they will call it tsahal that day!
enough of your hypocrisy! if you two are really for lebanon and a strong army then you also have to ask for hezbis disarmament!!! NO DOUBLE STANDARDS! or else you have to accept that other parties get weapons ! otherwise you are not logic with yourselves.... i guess stupid is more like it.
25 June 2013, 10:18
00
Our Children! Our Brothers! Our Parents!!
anyone who sees those fine men other than this is not Lebanese and more a 'traitor'!
