LAF chief Kahwaji says terrorist cell detected in Tripoli, expects new Arsal battle

Lebanese Armed Forces chief Jean Kahwaji said on Thursday that the army has detected a terrorist cell in the northern city of Tripoli.       

“We are working on pursuing its members while avoiding a deadly battle,” Kahwaji said, adding “we will resort to military action if peaceful solutions do not pay off”.      

The army chief also expected that a new battle with armed groups may flare up on the outskirts of Arsal, a northeastern border town.       

“The army has boosted its presence on the hills surrounding Arsal and isolated the town in order to besiege gunmen and prevent their access to supplies,” Kahwaji said.           

“Hezbollah did not participate in the Arsal battles,” he said, pointing out that the group’s bases are some 12 kilometers away from army checkpoints.    

In this regard, Kahwaji noted that army units are closely monitoring Syrian refugee tented settlements and arresting suspects, saying “we came under attack from inside [refugee] settlements during the Arsal battles”.      

“Detainee Imad Jomaa confessed, during investigations, that armed groups were plotting attacks against the Lebanese army as well as an invasion of Shi’ite and Christian towns in the Bekaa in a bid to create a sectarian strife in Lebanon,” Kahwaji said.