Five suspected terrorists were arrested in Lebanese border towns over the weekend, in a bid to insulate the volatile area from the threat of Syrian jihadis.
The Army said in a statement Sunday that Lebanese national Abdul-Rahman Ghadadi and three Syrian nationals were arrested in the northeastern border town of Arsal Saturday, after the former was caught smuggling the three men from the outskirts of Arsal into the town.
The three Syrian men are suspected of belonging to a terrorist group. The statement did not disclose whether the suspects were members of ISIS [Daesh] or The Nusra Front.
The Army also arrested Syrian national Ahmad al-Mohammad in the Bekaa Valley town of Al-Faour.
The man, who is also suspected of belonging to a terrorist group, confessed to being in contact with the group’s members, the statement added.
The arrest comes less than a week since Army Commander Gen. Jean Kahwagi said in a published report that the military has wrested control over all geographical crossings linking Arsal to its outskirts, asserting that it was impossible for Syrian jihadis to infiltrate the town.
A 750-strong military force entered the volatile border town earlier this month and combed the entire area, he said.
The Army has also formed a line of defense that stretches across several peaks and rugged terrain in the northern Bekaa Valley, he noted, assuring that militant movements can easily be detected from the military’s strategic posts.
Militants have been holed up in the mountains surrounding Arsal since spring 2014, when they were driven out by Hezbollah and the Syrian army from Syria’s Qalamoun mountain range.
Hezbollah and the Syrian army have been battling jihadis in Syria's Qalamoun mountain range along Lebanon’s eastern borders for more than one month.
Earlier this month, the Qalamoun battles focused for over a week on Arsal’s eastern and southern outskirts, and on the western outskirts of the Syrian town of Flita.
The allied forces have achieved major field victories, taking 64 percent of the Qalamoun hills in less than 5 weeks, according to Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV.
The TV station also reported Monday that 90 percent of Nusra positions in Qalamoun, including Arsal’s outskirts, have been seized by Hezbollah fighters.
ISIS has been in control of most of Arsal’s northern outskirts since last year, while Nusra has been in control of the eastern and southern outskirts.
