Minister Bassil: Lebanon is currently witnessing the LAF's victory against armed groups

Minister of Foreign Affairs Gebran Bassil held on Wednesday a press conference during which he noted that Lebanon is currently witnessing the "Lebanese army's victory against armed groups."

Bassil also noted that Israel and the Islamic State are two sides of the same coin, stressing the importance of the Lebanese people's unity during the current phase.

He underscored that Lebanon must not become a fertile ground for terrorism, warning however of Syrian tented settlements "that could become so due to poverty and despondent conditions."

Clashes erupted in Arsal on Saturday afternoon (August 02) when Syrian gunmen deployed across the region after the Lebanese Armed Forces arrested Syrian national Imad Ahmad Jomaa at a checkpoint.

The army said 17 soldiers have so far been killed, with 22 others missing and 86 injured in the fighting.

Lebanese security officials say the fighters include members of al Qaeda's Syria branch, the Nusra Front, and an al Qaeda splinter group, the Islamic State, which has seized swathes of land in Syria and Iraq.