Aoun Says Tripoli Attack Won’t Harm Stability as Hariri Urges 'Uprooting Terror Remnants'
President Michel Aoun reassured Tuesday that the overnight deadly attack by an Islamic State lone gunman in Tripoli will not affect stability in the country, as Prime Minister Saad Hariri called for “uprooting the remnants of terrorism.”
Saluting “the souls of the four army and Internal Security Forces martyrs who fell in Tripoli on Eid’s eve,” Aoun underlined that “any tampering with security will meet a decisive and quick response.”
“What happened in Tripoli will not affect stability in the country,” he reassured.
Aoun also called on citizens to cooperate with security agencies and warned of “rumors that sow anxiousness.”
He added: “The constant readiness of the army and security forces has the ability to protect citizens’ safety across Lebanon.”
Prime Minister Saad Hariri, currently in Saudi Arabia, for his part contacted Interior Minister Raya al-Hassan, Army Commander General Joseph Aoun and Director-General of the Internal Security Forces Major General Imad Othman to discuss the incident.
Hariri expressed his condolences to the Army Command, the ISF command and “the families of the martyrs who fell in the confrontation with the terrorist group,” underscoring the need to take all necessary measures to protect the security of Tripoli and its people and “uproot the remnants of terrorism.”
Commending “the sacrifices of the army, the ISF and the other security institutions and the courage of the officers, soldiers and members who are defending the security and safety of the Lebanese,” Hariri called on Tripoli’s residents and dignitaries to “support the army and the security forces, and to cooperate with the competent agencies to “uncover the hotbeds of terrorism and eradicate it.”
Hariri concluded: “Terrorism has struck the joy of Eid in Tripoli, but this noble city will remain stubbornly defiant in the face of extremism and those who distort the true values of Islam. We will not back down from repeating with the people of Tripoli on the morning of Eid al-Fitr: Eid Mubarak Tripoli.”
A lone gunman using a motorcycle fired on police and army vehicles in different parts of Tripoli on Monday night, killing two police officers and two soldiers and wounding several others before blowing himself up later when confronted by troops.
The army identified the gunman as Abdul Rahman Mabsout, but gave no other details. LBCI said Mabsout was a former member of the Islamic State group who fought with the extremist movement in Syria. It said he had been detained when he returned to Lebanon in 2016 and was released a year later.
The military statement said the shooter first fired at a branch of the Lebanese Central Bank, then shot at police and later at an army vehicle.
Source: Naharnet
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