Lebanon thwarts terror raids by Daesh on bustling areas
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Lebanese army soldiers patrol near the site, where bomb attacks took place in the Christian village of Qaa, on the border with Syria, on June 28, 2016. ©Reuters
The Lebanese army says it has foiled two planned terrorist attacks by Takfiri Daesh terrorists on a tourist site and a crowded area.
According to an army statement released by Lebanon’s official National News Agency (NNA) on Thursday, five people involved in the thwarted assaults, including the mastermind, were detained.
“Those arrested confessed to having carried out terrorist acts against the army previously. Investigations are continuing,” the statement read.
On June 27, eight bombers launched two waves of attacks on the northeastern Christian village of Qaa, located on the border with violence-wracked Syria, killing five people and injuring almost 30 others.
There has been no claim of responsibility for the deadly bombings, but security officials believe Daesh terrorists were behind the raids.
Lebanese security chiefs have warned of a heightened terrorist threat in the wake of the Qaa attacks, with Prime Minister Tammam Salam raising concerns about "a new wave of terrorist operations.”
Lebanon’s Interior Minister Nohad Machnouk said most of the Qaa bombers came from crisis-hit Syria.
Authorities have arrested some 120 Syrians from makeshift refugee camps in the country over the past few days, a security source said.
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