REPORT: ISF carry out raids in Tariq al-Jdideh, al-Basta; arrest number of suspects

The Internal Security Forces Information bureau carried out on Sunday evening raid missions in the regions of Tariq al-Jdideh and al-Basta in Beirut, and arrested a number of persons, including women.

The missions were implemented on the backdrop of the terrorist attacks carried out by al-Nusra Front, the arrest of suspect Naim Abbas and the dismantling of a booby-trapped car loaded with 240 kilograms of explosives in Baalbek on Sunday morning.

In this context, security sources told LBCI that groups, other than the ones led by Naim Abbas, are still attempting to bring explosive-laden vehicles into Lebanon.

On Sunday, the Lebanese Armed Forces seized a silver Toyota Rav-4 vehicle in Baalbek’s Ham region, loaded with 240 kilograms of explosives, 10 kilograms of highly flammable materials and two 122 mm artillery shells.

The vehicle, coming from the Syrian region of Qalamoun and heading toward Beirut, was intercepted 600 meters away from the LAF checkpoint on the Eastern Lebanon Mountain Range.

The LAF arrested on Wednesday February12, the Palestinian national identified as Naim Abbas dubbed "the most dangerous terrorist in the country," while preliminary information revealed that Abbas had been at the receiving end of a network smuggling booby trapped cars from Omar al-Atrash.

Lebanon has been witnessing a direct spillover of the Syrian crisis as rockets and mortar shells keep on landing in the northern border towns, leaving casualties and material damages, as well as a wave of terrorist attacks against Hezbollah strongholds, resulting in casualties and heavy material losses.


For more details, watch Bassam Abou Zeid's full report in the video above