Ghosn Said Arsal Attack Violation of National Security: No Region Will Be outside Army Control

Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn considered on Friday the “Arsal attack on an army patrol a violation of national security and an attempt to undermine the integrity of the state”.

"Any attack on the Lebanese army is an attack on the entire nation and we will not tolerate this,” Ghosn said in a released statement.

He confirmed: “We will not be lenient with the perpetrators and they will be arrested and penalized”.

The minister added that no region in Lebanon will be outside the army's control, calling on the residents of the Bekaa region to refrain from allowing the passage of gunmen to Lebanon.

He stated: “The army is the only guarantee to all Lebanese people regardless of their religious affiliation”.

Two officers were killed and a number of soldiers were wounded during a clash with gunmen in Bekaa's Arsal town, said the Army Command in a released statement on Friday.

Following the clash, the army urged the residents of the town to fully cooperate with the its procedures in the area, warning that it will “not be lenient with any attempt to allow passage or harbor gunmen.”