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Higher Defense Council Praises 'Patriotic Spirit' after Bombings

The Higher Defense Council lauded on Monday the “patriotic spirit” of the Lebanese that steered Lebanon away from strife after the latest bombings that rocked the country.

The Council “discussed the movement of the explosive situation from one area to the other in an attempt to create instability and insecurity,” said a statement read by Secretary-General Maj. Gen. Mohammed Kheir after a meeting held under President Michel Suleiman at Baabda Palace.

It “lauded the patriotic spirit that characterized the reactions of the citizens in terms of rejecting strife either after the bombings in Tripoli or in Beirut's southern suburbs,” he said.

The conferees discussed “the measures taken by security forces to improve their mobilization,” Kheir added.

Two coordinated explosions rocked two mosques in Tripoli on Friday, raising already simmering sectarian tensions in the country.

A car bomb also targeted Beirut's southern suburbs controlled by Hizbullah on August 15.

The Council also discussed the latest Israeli aggression on Lebanon and ways to preserve the country's sovereignty.

Early Friday, Israeli warplanes struck a target in Naameh south of Beirut, a day after militants fired four rockets into northern Israel.

The raid targeted a Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC) base in a valley in Naameh that lies 16 kilometers south of Beirut. But it did not cause any casualties or material damage.

The Baabda palace meeting was attended by Caretaker Premier Najib Miqati, and Caretaker Ministers Adnan Mansour, Fayez Ghosn, Marwan Charbel, Ali Hassan Khalil, Mohammed Safadi, Nicolas Nahhas and Wael Abou Faour.

Army chief Gen. Jean Qahwaji was also among the military and security officials who attended the meeting.

Qahwaji told reporters ahead of the meeting that Lebanon enjoyed the highest level of stability compared to the unstable situation in the region.

The Council keeps its decisions confidential in accordance to the law.


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