Cabinet Gives Army Authority on Deployment and Protection of Arsal
The government tasked the Lebanese army on Thursday with taking necessary measures to deploy inside the northeastern border town of Arsal to protect it against militant attacks, Information Minister Ramzi Jreij said.
“After long discussions on the catastrophic situation in Arsal and the presence of militants on its outskirts, the cabinet expressed full confidence in the army,” Jreij said in his briefing to reporters following a government session that was chaired by Prime Minister Tammam Salam at the Grand Serail.
The cabinet tasked the military “with taking all necessary measures to deploy inside Arsal and protect it from attacks and the dangers of armed men,” he said.
The ministers agreed to continue discussions on all other issues during a session next Thursday, the minister stated, without further elaboration.
But local TV reports said that Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq informed the cabinet that he was mulling to extend the term of Internal Security Forces chief Maj. Gen. Ibrahim Basbous after the ministers failed again to agree on the controversial issue of security and military appointments.
Basbous' term ends at midnight Thursday.
According to the reports, al-Mashnouq also told the cabinet that he would issue a decree appointing Joseph Helou as police chief.
In his briefing, Jreij said Salam reiterated the necessity to elect a president, saying the more than one-year vacuum at Baabda Palace has reflected negatively on the role of state institutions.
Salam also informed the cabinet of the result of his visit to Saudi Arabia, he added.
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