Prime Minister Tammam Salam welcomed on Tuesday the new Islamic military alliance-led by Saudi Arabia as Lebanon and its army and security forces are engaged in daily battles with terror groups, one of them is holding nine servicemen hostage.
In a statement issued by Salam’s press office, the premier said that Lebanon, which took part in an international coalition against the Islamic State in Iraq, has never stopped calling for joining efforts to face the dangers of terrorism and extremism.
“Lebanon should not hesitate in blessing any effort exerted to confront this scourge, which is threatening the stability of the region,” the statement added.
But the Foreign Ministry denied having knowledge of the coalition led by Saudi Arabia to fight terrorism.
The ministry confirmed in a statement that what happened impinges Lebanon and its essential role in fighting terrorism and it also impinges the ministry’s prerogatives and its constitutional role in dealing with the country’s foreign policy.
It did however express support for any initiative and coalition seeking to fight Takfirist terrorism, but emphasized that the country's foreign policy decisions are based on its national interests.
Earlier during the day, Future Movement leader and former Prime Minister Saad Hariri praised this initiative that aims at fighting terrorism.
"The announcement is a historic step in the right way to deal with the political, security and intellectual impasse, which has become a serious burden on the image of Islam and threatens Muslims’ existence and coexistence,” Hariri said in a statement.
Saudi Arabia said on Tuesday that 34 states have agreed to form a new alliance to fight terrorism with a joint operations center based in Riyadh.
Lebanon is among the 34 countries in the alliance.