Lebanese soldiers in the vicinity of Ras Baalbeck, in the Bekaa, near the border with Syria, during the 'Dawn of the Outskirts' operation against IS jihadists, on Aug. 21, 2017. (Credit: AFP)
The army command issued a statement on Friday, declaring that the troops "will not allow any breach of security or civil peace." "The exceptional circumstances the country is going through require unity among the Lebanese, their solidarity, their sense of responsibility and their awareness of the gravity of the current situation," the statement added. The army called on all citizens "not to commit any action that could have repercussions on the security of the Lebanese."
The events that rocked the Syrian region of Sweida this week, sometimes turning into clashes between the Druze and Sunni communities in Syria, nearly had repercussions in Lebanon. Altercations and controversies occurred intermittently among members of different communities: the mobilization of Lebanese Druze, due to the abuses committed against their coreligionists in Sweida, as well as the fact that Sunnis from Tripoli expressed their support for Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, particularly raised fears of the conflict spreading to Lebanon. To prevent any spillover, some municipalities, notably Aley — which has a majority Druze population — imposed a night-time curfew on Syrian nationals.
To contain these tensions, the spiritual leaders of the Sunni and Druze communities in Lebanon, Abdellatif Derian and Sami Abi al-Mona, on Friday called to "avoid falling into the trap of sedition."
"Lebanon is facing exceptional circumstances, including aggression and violations by the Israeli enemy against national sovereignty, the challenges of ensuring security within the country and at the borders, not to mention complicated developments in the region," the army statement said.
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