Qahwaji Warns of Sleeper Terrorist Cells: No Politician is Permitted to Communicate with Army through Certain Officer or Soldier

Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji stressed on Tuesday that the Army Command will be strict in addressing ties between officers and political leaderships.

He said during a meeting with high-ranking officers: “No politician is permitted to communicate with the army through an officer or a soldier.”

Contacts between politicians and military officers should take place with the Army Command's approval, he added.

Moreover, Qahwaji lauded the efforts exerted by the security agencies in recent years to achieve stability in Lebanon.

“The army has proven that it is capable of preventing any unrest in Lebanon through all possible political and military means,” he added.

“This does not mean that Lebanon has made it through the danger zone, but it is nearing it given the severity of the developments in Syria and the region” and the constant threat of Israel, remarked the army commander.

He therefore urged officers to exercise more diligence to confront various dangers, most notably terrorism as demonstrated through last week's rocket attack in the Baabda region.

On this note, Qahwaji revealed that the army had discovered a number of sleeper terrorist cells, adding that remaining ones should be uncovered.

Suleiman stressed on Thursday that the army would be the sole defender of Lebanon and the country's borders if its capabilities were improved.

“There is no security and dignity without the army,” he said, adding it needs an embracing environment because it “doesn't act independently from the state.”

He appealed for political support to the army, saying “there should be a campaign in support of the military and not against it at this delicate stage.”

He made his remarks during a ceremony marking the 68th anniversary of the Lebanese army’s founding.

Later that day, unknown assailants fired two rockets in the Baabda region near the Officers' Club.

The perpetrators remain at large.