(The Daily Star)- The Lebanese Army will not “slip” into engaging in any war inside the Syrian area of Qalamoun, where Hezbollah and the Syrian Army are currently fighting jihadis, Commander Gen. Jean Kahwagi said.
According to a report by the pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat newspaper’s Sunday release, Kahwagi assured security officials in a meeting Saturday that the Army “is ready to confront any assault on Lebanese sovereignty and push back any infiltration of militants.”
However, he also emphasized that the military’s responsibilities “are limited to dealing with attacks on Lebanese territory,” saying it will not “slip into participation.”
Quoting Army sources, Al-Hayat said that officials were positive about Lebanon’s safety in light of the escalation near its borders, and assured that “the security situation in under control.”
The spillover to Lebanon is not expected to exceed what has already happened, which saw random mortars fired by militants on eastern Lebanese villages, the officials suggested.
Hezbollah and the Syrian Army have been engaged in fierce battle with Syrian rebels and jihadis near the eastern Lebanese borders in the Qalamoun hills.
During the last few days of battles, militants were forced to withdraw and the Hezbollah-backed Syrian troops took over large hills in the area.
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