Report: Campaign against Army Aimed at Lifting its Control of Lebanese-Syrian Border

The media campaign that is targeting the Lebanese army aims at forcing it to lift its control of the Lebanese-Syrian border, As Safir newspaper reported on Thursday.

“The military should remain neutral. They want chaos along the border, but the army will not be affected by their (campaign),” high-ranking military sources told the daily.

The sources stressed that “the campaign and cheap accusations will not change anything,” saying that the army is committed to carrying out its national tasks.

They added that the problems that took place along the border were limited.

“The Syrian authorities cooperated with their Lebanese counterparts to resolve the conflicts,” the sources said.

They noted that the media has exaggerated the issue.

Media reports said that army trucks had entered Syrian territory, which was interpreted as a sign of the army’s interference in the ongoing events in Syria.

However, the sources stated that the army has been buying logistic equipment from Syria since 1990 and therefore their entry to Syria is normal.

“A while ago, the army signed an agreement with Syria through the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank to buy a phone quad cable, which required the army trucks enter Syria,” they said.

They stated that the army acquires some spare parts for military vehicles, noting that the Syrian state is a mandatory path for the trucks that transfer logistic equipment to the army from Jordan.