Report: Qahwaji Cuts Paris Visit Short over Deadly Arsal Clashes

Army chief Gen. Jean Qahwaji decided to cut his visit to Paris short after two soldiers and a wanted man were killed in an ambush in the eastern town of Arsal near the border with Syria, al-Akhbar daily reported on Saturday.

The newspaper said that Qahwaji will return to Beirut on Saturday after what a military communique said on Friday a patrol was ambushed by gunmen as it was hunting a man wanted for several terrorist acts.

The clashes that ensued left an officer with the rank of captain and a soldier dead, and several military personnel wounded, it added.

The army chief traveled to Paris on Wednesday to appeal for military aid and discuss ways to improve cooperation between the two countries.

Qahwaji's official visit at the invitation of chief of staff Guillaud Edouard was set to include talks with top French military officials on measures to provide aid to the Lebanese army.

The talks would also focus on ways to consolidate relations between the two armies in the fields of training and logistics.