Berri Expresses Support to Army, Says it's Carrying Out its Responsibilities to 'Fullest'
Speaker Nabih Berri voiced on Monday his support to the measures undertaken by the army in the northeastern Bekaa border town of Arsal.
“The army should be allowed to assume its tasks... It is carrying out its responsibilities to the fullest,” Berri said in comments published in An Nahar newspaper.
He described those who are opposing the army's measures as “unpleasant voices” that want to have a negative impact on the role carried out by the military institution.
Berri wondered if there are any politicians that reject the state's decision to disassociate itself from the turmoil in Syria after the incident in Arsal.
The army issued a communique on Saturday revealing that Syrian rebels attacked a Lebanese army post in Arsal late Friday, without causing any casualties.
It said that the army reinforced its presence in the area and began to pursue the gunmen, who fled after the attack towards the mountains and several border towns and villages inside Lebanon.
Asked about the raids carried out by the army to detain the kidnapping and bank robbing gangs in Beirut's southern suburb, the Speaker said that the “campaign is ongoing and the army will head to the Bekaa after that.”
“The army will continue with its plan and no one will be able to stop it as it's unacceptable to permit the gangs to frighten citizens and cripple the economy,” Berri added.
The army recently arrested several al-Meqdad family members, including the clan's spokesman Maher, during raids on Beirut's southern suburbs and other areas after the clan went on an abduction spree of Syrians and Turkish nationals to avenge the kidnapping of family member Hassan in Damascus last month.
Lebanon has been also witnessing the kidnapping of several businessmen and numerous bank robberies but the authorities have vowed to put an end to these phenomena.
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