Army Instructed to Respond to Sources of Fire as it Deploys along Border with Syria
The military reinforcements to northern and northeastern Lebanon are underway with clear instructions to “respond to the source of fire,” the Lebanese army’s general command said Friday following several deadly incidents along the Lebanese-Syrian border.
“Based upon the decision of the cabinet on Monday, the army began upgrading its deployment in the area of the north starting with the city of Tripoli and its suburbs, all the away to the northeastern border,” the directorate said in a communique.
“The operation will continue in the coming days to include the deployment of new units in addition to the joint military and security forces units already present in these regions,” it said.
The army command gave the troops clear instructions to take strong measures in protecting the citizens against any assault, clamping down on gunmen and preventing infiltrations and smuggling operations along the Lebanese-Syrian border.
Their mission includes “the immediate response to the sources of fire from any side it came,” the communique said.
The deployment came after several people were killed and injured in the past months in Syrian cross-border shelling during clashes between government troops and rebels seeking to topple the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
On Thursday alone, a salvo of shells hit towns in Akkar and Baalbek, injuring 6 people, including four children, which caused panic among residents and forced them to areas away from the border with Syria.
The military command “expressed trust in the cooperation of the residents and officials of border regions with the measures taken by the army to preserve their security and safety.”
It also urged them to cooperate with the troops “to thwart any suspicious attempt” aimed at creating security tension.
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