Former Minister Baydoun to LBCI: Hezbollah attempting to drive LAF to battle in Syria's Qalamoun

Former Minister Mohammad Baydoun said on Thursday that Hezbollah is trying to drive the Lebanese army towards a battle in Syria's Qalamoun.

Baydoun also noted that the call launched by Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah to negotiate with the abductors of the Lebanese troops in Arsal "from a position of strength" was personified by the raids carried out by the Lebanese army against tented settlements in Arsal.

Baydoun's comments were made during LBCI's Nharkom Said TV show during which he asserted that Hezbollah cannot be disarmed by force.

On another note, Baydoun noted that the northern city of Tripoli is "moderate and peaceful," adding that the extremists only constitute 1% of Tripoli's residents.

Disputes from neighboring Syria's civil war frequently inflame sectarian grievances in Tripoli.

On Wednesday, gunmen opened fire at an army post in Tripoli's al-Omari street and threw a grenade on another post in Bab Tabbaneh.

The army responded to the sources of gunfire, while preliminary information stated that a soldier was injured in the leg.

The Lebanese army has become the target of attacks in the northern Lebanese city after implementing a security plan.