HERMEL, Lebanon: The Lebanese Army has sent reinforcements to the Bekaa Valley on the eve of the implementation of a security plan designed to restore law and order in the turbulent region plagued by spillover from the Syrian conflict, a military official said Sunday.
“The Army’s logistical preparations are in their final phase. Reinforcements, including military vehicles, have been sent to the region in preparation for the implementation of a security plan to restore law and order in the northern Bekaa Valley,” the official told The Daily Star.
Asked as to when the security plan would be put into effect, he said: “It could be either Monday afternoon or the next day.”
The security plan for the northern Bekaa Valley comes a week after a similar government plan was successfully enforced by the Lebanese Army to end sectarian fighting in the northern city of Tripoli.
Tripoli has been plagued with fighting between supporters of Syrian President Bashar Assad in the predominantly Alawite Jabal Mohsen neighborhood and those of the opposition in the Sunni majority Bab al-Tabbaneh district. Over 100 people have been killed in the fighting since the uprising against Assad’s regime began in March 2011.
Ahead of the security plan’s implementation in the northern Bekaa Valley, Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk said illegitimate checkpoints in the region had been removed.
“There are no longer unofficial checkpoints along the Arsal road, and unofficial armed forces are no longer present in the Baalbek-Hermel region,” Machnouk said in a statement, referring to Hezbollah checkpoints set up to curb the rise of car bombings targeting Shiite towns in the Bekaa Valley.
Hezbollah has taken measures in Hermel, Baalbek and other Bekaa Valley towns following a series of bombings targeting these predominantly Shiite areas. The attacks were mostly claimed by radical groups fighting in Syria, citing Hezbollah’s role in the war-torn country. Hezbollah’s measures have angered nearby Sunni towns, particularly residents in the northeastern town of Arsal, who largely support the Syrian opposition, which has fueled tensions in the border region.
In an interview to be published by As-Safir newspaper Monday, Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah said the danger posed by car bombs targeting Shiite areas had greatly decreased.
The Lebanese Army has taken full control of a vital highway linking Arsal to Baalbek and Hermel in preparation for the security plan, the National News Agency reported.
Lebanese soldiers arrested four armed Syrians in Wadi Hanin in Arsal who opened fire on an Army patrol, the NNA said.
Speaking after meeting Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai in Bkirki late Saturday, Machnouk hailed the plan’s success in Tripoli, saying Beirut would soon see similar measures.
“We confirm that the security plan is going as planned with the support of the president, the prime minister and the courage of the Army,” Machnouk said. “We are all fully responsible for the failure or success of the plan, which has so far proven to be a success.”
“Implementation of the plan in the northern Bekaa Valley will soon begin, and it will end in Beirut. We will end violations against the Lebanese, their security and their livelihood, particularly in light of repeated abductions.”
Residents in the Baalbek- Hermel region are anxiously waiting for the implementation of the security plan, hoping the security forces will crack down on gangs blamed for car thefts and drug trafficking in the area.
Meanwhile in Tripoli, some 130 men demonstrated in Bab al-Tabbaneh, demanding a general amnesty for all militia leaders wanted on arrest warrants for their alleged involvement in the fighting.
Also, about 150 men demonstrated in the Jabal Mohsen neighborhood in support of Rifaat Eid, the Arab Democratic Party’s politburo chief. The demonstration came a day after Military Prosecutor Saqr Saqr charged 12 people, including Eid, for belonging to an armed terror organization and carrying out terrorist acts in Tripoli.
Security forces arrested a man identified only by his initials as B.B., one of the key suspects wanted in Bab al-Tabbaneh.
Source: The Daily Star