Lebanon, Kahwagi: "Military will respond to attacks"
Nel paese dei cedri è difficile dire quale sia la priorità del momento:
gli attentati terroristici, il coinvolgimento di Hezbollah in Siria, i
problemi economici o la mancanza di un governo. Per un osservatore della politica libanese, gli unici simboli
della presenza dello Stato sono la bandiera, gli ultimi due cedri
rimasti in vita in tutto il paese e le Forze armate libanesi. Non sorprende dunque se l'esercito stia cercando - a fatica - di ritagliarsi un ruolo. Il comandante dell'esercito libanese, Gen. Jean Kahwagi, ha assicurato - dopo gli ultimi attentati - che le LAF risponderanno prontamente a qualsiasi attacco israeliano e agli attentati terroristici che intendono minare la sicurezza nella città meridionale di Sidone. "L'esercito è pronto a rispondere a qualsiasi aggressione israeliana e non concederà spazio di manovra a qualsiasi minaccia. Ogni atto aggressivo avrà una risposta e questa sarà immediata ", ha detto Kahwagi.
He also praised the efforts of soldiers and officers in preserving
security along the border areas and defending them against Israeli
aggression.
“The Lebanese Army is eager to preserve stability in the south and
committed to maintaining its security in cooperation with the United
Nations Interim Force in Lebanon,” Kahwagi added.
“But it [the Army] is also aware of the Israeli enemy’s intentions
toward Lebanon, particularly its attempts to take advantage of internal
disputes to foment strife among the Lebanese,” Kahwagi added.
His remarks came during a tour of Army units in the southern district
of Marjayoun and Sidon. Kahwagi also visited UNIFIL headquarters in the
southern border village of Naqoura.
He said the Army’s strength stemmed from Lebanon’s right to national
sovereignty, whether in land, air or sea, and from its obligation to
defend its sovereignty, with support from the people and the
international community.
At UNIFIL’s headquarters in Naqoura, Kahwagi met Maj. Gen. Paolo
Serra, the head of the peacekeeping force, along with senior UNIFIL
officers.
During his meeting with Serra, Kahwagi stressed the importance of
daily coordination and joint work between the Army and the international
troops in accordance with U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701.
He said Israel was repeatedly violating the resolution among other international laws, while Lebanon was respecting its international commitments.
Kahwagi told Serra that the Army was eager to protect peacekeepers in south Lebanon just as much as its Lebanese soldiers.
“General Kahwagi’s visit to UNIFIL today is a strong reaffirmation of
the trust and friendship that define our cooperation at every level and
in all our work together in pursuance of our mandate under Resolution
1701. Our strategic partnership with the Lebanese Armed Forces remains
one of the main pillars for the success of our mission,” Serra said
after the visit.
Kahwagi also visited Lebanese soldiers deployed in the coastal city of Sidon and the nearby Zahrani district and praised their role in preserving security in the area.
“Everybody knows the enormous sacrifices you are making and what
happened in Al-Awali, Abra and Majdalyoun is a clear indicator that we
will not remain silent if the Army is targeted,” the Army commander
said, addressing the soldiers.
Last week, Army checkpoints in Al-Awali in Sidon and the city’s
suburb of Majdalyoun were targeted in two separate suicide attacks,
killing an Army first sergeant and wounding three soldiers. The
assailants were affiliated with fugitive Salafist Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir.
In June, the military clashed with armed supporters of Assir after
his gunmen ambushed a military checkpoint in the Sidon suburb of Abra.
At least 18 Army soldiers and dozens of Assir’s supporters were killed in the confrontation.
“You are shouldering the great mission of preserving the stability of
Lebanon during a difficult phase in which internal and external sides
are trying to engage in a destabilization campaign by targeting you with
suicide and other security attacks to weaken the Army, in order to
undermine the unity of Lebanon,” Kahwagi said. “But everybody will
figure out that you are up to the responsibility and the challenges.”
Kahwagi described Sidon as the city of coexistence and assured
residents that the Army would double its efforts in the city and its
surrounding areas, as well as the coastal road to protect them from
security incidents and “will not allow the hands of terrorists to strike
in Sidon.”
Separately, a tenuous calm reigned in the Western Bekaa village of Suweiri Monday, as the Army heavily patrolled the village.
The Army restored calm to the village Sunday after a clash between
two families left six dead and several others wounded, heightening fears
of sectarian violence in Suweiri.
The fighting began with a personal argument Saturday and developed
into armed clashes between the families of Chouman and Janbayn. The
fighting renewed Sunday, bringing the death toll to six, four from the
Janbayn family and two Choumans. The Choumans are Shiites while members
of the Janbayn family are Sunnis.
Members of the Janbayn family Monday held the funeral of two men killed Sunday, Ahmad Janbayn and Khaled Janbayn, an Army first sergeant.
President Michel Sleiman
followed up on the situation in Suweiri with the relevant officials,
voicing his regret that the clashes left casualties and that houses were
set ablaze, a statement from his office said. He said the spirit of
love should prevail and the interests of Lebanon should come first.
Sleiman expressed relief over security measures taken by the Army and
Internal Security Forces to restore peace and order in the village.
Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt
said in a statement that the Suweiri clashes were an alarm bell that
should prompt Lebanese officials to adopt a rational rhetoric and
reconcile their differences by forming a national unity government.
Source Daily Star
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