ToxicBunny
Oi! Leave me out of this...
Saudi are clearly worried about what ISIS means to their little fiefdom.. and they're hoping Lebanon can deliver a bit of a beatdown...
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Lebanon under attack
- Thread starter MickeyD
- Start date
Saudi are clearly worried about what ISIS means to their little fiefdom.. and they're hoping Lebanon can deliver a bit of a beatdown...
Nanfeishen
Executive Member
Yep, they are worried :
ISIS is showing an interest:
http://www.clarionproject.org/analysis/isis-next-targets-jordan-and-saudi-arabia
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...2-500-Iraqi-soldiers-quit-posts-boundary.html
The ISIS end game plan
LazyLion
King of de Jungle
LEBANON CLERICS SEEK TALKS TO END TO JIHADIST CLASHES
A delegation of Sunni clerics entered eastern Lebanon's Arsal Wednesday in a bid to negotiate an end to clashes between the army and jihadists who have killed and captured soldiers.
A security source said a humanitarian ceasefire was in effect and expected to last until Wednesday evening, with reports that the quiet was intended to allow the talks to proceed and for the evacuation of the wounded and trapped civilians.
A resident told AFP many of the jihadists appeared to have withdrawn from its streets, though he said he could still see around 20 militants manning a checkpoint near his home.
Meanwhile, Lebanon appealed for aid to bolster its troops as they battle the jihadists in clashes that began Saturday afternoon with the arrest of man accused of belonging to Al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, Al-Nusra Front.
Security sources said the army would only consider a deal under which the jihadists withdrew from Arsal and handed over 22 soldiers believed to have been taken hostage by the militants.
At least 17 soldiers have been killed in the fighting, three of them officers, as well as at least three civilians.
On Wednesday afternoon, an AFP correspondent said ambulances were entering Arsal and a military truck had evacuated some civilians.
The fighting there is the most serious security incident on the Syrian border since the conflict began in the neighbouring country in March 2011.
Army chief General Jean Kahwaji has called for France to speed up delivery of weapons being purchased for the military by Saudi Arabia, under a $3 billion deal.
The deal was announced last December, but a list of the items to be provided under the agreement has not yet been finalised.
Saudi Arabia has also pledged an additional $1 billion in assistance, according to announcement Tuesday by Lebanon's former prime minister Saad Hariri -- the country's most prominent Sunni politician.
Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil joined the chorus of calls for assistance on Wednesday.
"What we need is immediate and instant aid because we are in the battle," he said.
The fighting has raised fears about the stability of Lebanon, which is hosting more than one million refugees and has seen existing political and sectarian tensions heightened by its neighbour's war.
Source : Sapa-AFP /lk
Date : 06 Aug 2014 15:31
A delegation of Sunni clerics entered eastern Lebanon's Arsal Wednesday in a bid to negotiate an end to clashes between the army and jihadists who have killed and captured soldiers.
A security source said a humanitarian ceasefire was in effect and expected to last until Wednesday evening, with reports that the quiet was intended to allow the talks to proceed and for the evacuation of the wounded and trapped civilians.
A resident told AFP many of the jihadists appeared to have withdrawn from its streets, though he said he could still see around 20 militants manning a checkpoint near his home.
Meanwhile, Lebanon appealed for aid to bolster its troops as they battle the jihadists in clashes that began Saturday afternoon with the arrest of man accused of belonging to Al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, Al-Nusra Front.
Security sources said the army would only consider a deal under which the jihadists withdrew from Arsal and handed over 22 soldiers believed to have been taken hostage by the militants.
At least 17 soldiers have been killed in the fighting, three of them officers, as well as at least three civilians.
On Wednesday afternoon, an AFP correspondent said ambulances were entering Arsal and a military truck had evacuated some civilians.
The fighting there is the most serious security incident on the Syrian border since the conflict began in the neighbouring country in March 2011.
Army chief General Jean Kahwaji has called for France to speed up delivery of weapons being purchased for the military by Saudi Arabia, under a $3 billion deal.
The deal was announced last December, but a list of the items to be provided under the agreement has not yet been finalised.
Saudi Arabia has also pledged an additional $1 billion in assistance, according to announcement Tuesday by Lebanon's former prime minister Saad Hariri -- the country's most prominent Sunni politician.
Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil joined the chorus of calls for assistance on Wednesday.
"What we need is immediate and instant aid because we are in the battle," he said.
The fighting has raised fears about the stability of Lebanon, which is hosting more than one million refugees and has seen existing political and sectarian tensions heightened by its neighbour's war.
Source : Sapa-AFP /lk
Date : 06 Aug 2014 15:31
Grant
Honorary Master
sounds like a better idea than more weapons - unless enola gay is brought out of mothballs to deliver the jihadists that which they so desperately seek & love
ToxicBunny
Oi! Leave me out of this...
The ISIS end game plan
Ok, its a bit smaller than I expected, but still...
Nanfeishen
Executive Member
If i am not mistaken, it is based along the historical lines of the Muslim empire at it peak circa 900AD (with a bit extra thrown in for good measure
)
ToxicBunny
Oi! Leave me out of this...
Clearly, just a little bit extra for good measure...
thestaggy
Honorary Master
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middl...xtended-lebanon-arsal-201486152545936235.html
I didn't know these guys could actually sit down and talk.
OrbitalDawn
Ulysses Everett McGill
Why are they calling them 'Syrian fighters' instead of ISIS?
Nanfeishen
Executive Member
Possible political propaganda reasons, if they are successful in conquering the territory then ISIS, if unsuccesful then they become "rebel fighters".
LazyLion
King of de Jungle
7 LEBANON TROOPS FREED AFTER ARSAL MILITANT DEAL: REPORT
Seven Lebanese soldiers being held by militants in the Arsal region on the Syrian border were freed on Thursday after a truce deal, the official National News Agency said.
The NNA said the seven were freed in an army operation, although there was no immediate confirmation from the military.
The releases came after a delegation of Sunni clerics said it had negotiated a deal under which militants who have been fighting the army in the area since Saturday would withdraw and turn over prisoners.
On Wednesday night, chief negotiator Sheikh Hossam al-Ghali said the militants, believed to be from several jihadist groups operating in Syria, had begun retreating.
"Fighters in Arsal have started to head across the Lebanese border" into Syria, Ghali said.
He said a ceasefire would be in place until 7:00 pm on Thursday (1600 GMT), following an agreement between Lebanon's prime minister, the army and other parties.
Another negotiator and fellow cleric, Samih Ezzedine, said the militants had agreed "to leave Arsal completely within 24 hours".
"They asked not to be shot at as they withdraw, and if that happens the whole agreement will be in jeopardy," he said.
"All the prisoners are alive and despite difficult negotiations we have clear and positive promises they will be released. I hope that will happen on Thursday," Ezzedine said.
At least 22 soldiers and 20 policemen were reportedly taken hostage by the militants, who attacked troops in the Arsal region of eastern Lebanon on Saturday.
Another 17 soldiers have been killed, and more than 80 wounded in the fighting, which is the worst violence in the area since the conflict in neighbouring Syria began in March 2011.
The UN agency for refugees, the UNHCR, has said it received reports from field hospitals in Arsal of at least 38 people killed and more than 250 wounded in the fighting, but there was no official confirmation of this.
The tension has spread to the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli, where an explosive device detonated on Wednesday night, killing one person and wounding six, a security source said.
Source : Sapa-AFP /lk
Date : 07 Aug 2014 08:41
Seven Lebanese soldiers being held by militants in the Arsal region on the Syrian border were freed on Thursday after a truce deal, the official National News Agency said.
The NNA said the seven were freed in an army operation, although there was no immediate confirmation from the military.
The releases came after a delegation of Sunni clerics said it had negotiated a deal under which militants who have been fighting the army in the area since Saturday would withdraw and turn over prisoners.
On Wednesday night, chief negotiator Sheikh Hossam al-Ghali said the militants, believed to be from several jihadist groups operating in Syria, had begun retreating.
"Fighters in Arsal have started to head across the Lebanese border" into Syria, Ghali said.
He said a ceasefire would be in place until 7:00 pm on Thursday (1600 GMT), following an agreement between Lebanon's prime minister, the army and other parties.
Another negotiator and fellow cleric, Samih Ezzedine, said the militants had agreed "to leave Arsal completely within 24 hours".
"They asked not to be shot at as they withdraw, and if that happens the whole agreement will be in jeopardy," he said.
"All the prisoners are alive and despite difficult negotiations we have clear and positive promises they will be released. I hope that will happen on Thursday," Ezzedine said.
At least 22 soldiers and 20 policemen were reportedly taken hostage by the militants, who attacked troops in the Arsal region of eastern Lebanon on Saturday.
Another 17 soldiers have been killed, and more than 80 wounded in the fighting, which is the worst violence in the area since the conflict in neighbouring Syria began in March 2011.
The UN agency for refugees, the UNHCR, has said it received reports from field hospitals in Arsal of at least 38 people killed and more than 250 wounded in the fighting, but there was no official confirmation of this.
The tension has spread to the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli, where an explosive device detonated on Wednesday night, killing one person and wounding six, a security source said.
Source : Sapa-AFP /lk
Date : 07 Aug 2014 08:41
LazyLion
King of de Jungle
HUNDREDS OF REFUGEES LEAVE LEBANON'S ARSAL FOR SYRIA
At least 1,700 Syrian refugees have left the Lebanese town of Arsal, where troops have been battling jihadists for days, to go back to Syria, a nun helping them return said Thursday.
The departure appeared to be the first time a group of refugees has left Lebanon en masse to return to Syria, and comes after days of fighting in the border town that has killed 17 soldiers and dozens of militants.
A Lebanese security services official confirmed that the group had left Arsal and was headed to the Masnaa border crossing to leave the country, putting the number of refugees heading out at 1,500.
The Syrian nun facilitating their return, Sister Agnes, who is close to the Syrian regime, told AFP that "1,700 men, women and children have left the Arsal area for Syria".
"They are mostly from the Qalamun region, particularly from Qara," she said, referring to a Syrian area just across the border from Arsal, which was largely recaptured by regime forces earlier this year.
Sister Agnes, who heads a convent in Qara, said some of the 47,000 Syrian refugees in Arsal had contacted her around a month ago requesting her help in returning to Syria.
"The formalities were complicated because of the presence of some men who had not done their military service," she said.
But the Syrian government "has put no obstacles in the way of their return."
The nun, who has mediated between regime and rebel forces on several occasions inside Syria, said Lebanon authorities were also facilitating the departure of the refugees, some of whom had entered the country illegally.
She said another 3,000 refugees in Arsal were still hoping to leave and return to Syria.
In the neighbouring town of Labweh, an AFP correspondent saw the refugees packed into some 20 trucks, carrying their belongings as they headed towards the border.
The presence of the refugees in the area, and claims that some of the jihadists had emerged from Syrian refugee camps in Arsal has raised tensions in the region.
Most of the Syrian refugees are Sunni Muslims, like the residents of Arsal, where they were largely welcomed, but they have been viewed with suspicion by many in the Shiite town of Labweh.
As the trucks carrying the refugees passed through Labweh, some residents swore at them and jeered.
Syria's conflict, which began in March 2011, has stoked existing political and sectarian tensions in Lebanon.
Many of the country's Sunnis back the Sunni-led uprising against President Bashar al-Assad, but much of the Shiite community, including the powerful Hezbollah movement, support the Syrian regime.
Source : Sapa-AFP /lk
Date : 07 Aug 2014 16:35
At least 1,700 Syrian refugees have left the Lebanese town of Arsal, where troops have been battling jihadists for days, to go back to Syria, a nun helping them return said Thursday.
The departure appeared to be the first time a group of refugees has left Lebanon en masse to return to Syria, and comes after days of fighting in the border town that has killed 17 soldiers and dozens of militants.
A Lebanese security services official confirmed that the group had left Arsal and was headed to the Masnaa border crossing to leave the country, putting the number of refugees heading out at 1,500.
The Syrian nun facilitating their return, Sister Agnes, who is close to the Syrian regime, told AFP that "1,700 men, women and children have left the Arsal area for Syria".
"They are mostly from the Qalamun region, particularly from Qara," she said, referring to a Syrian area just across the border from Arsal, which was largely recaptured by regime forces earlier this year.
Sister Agnes, who heads a convent in Qara, said some of the 47,000 Syrian refugees in Arsal had contacted her around a month ago requesting her help in returning to Syria.
"The formalities were complicated because of the presence of some men who had not done their military service," she said.
But the Syrian government "has put no obstacles in the way of their return."
The nun, who has mediated between regime and rebel forces on several occasions inside Syria, said Lebanon authorities were also facilitating the departure of the refugees, some of whom had entered the country illegally.
She said another 3,000 refugees in Arsal were still hoping to leave and return to Syria.
In the neighbouring town of Labweh, an AFP correspondent saw the refugees packed into some 20 trucks, carrying their belongings as they headed towards the border.
The presence of the refugees in the area, and claims that some of the jihadists had emerged from Syrian refugee camps in Arsal has raised tensions in the region.
Most of the Syrian refugees are Sunni Muslims, like the residents of Arsal, where they were largely welcomed, but they have been viewed with suspicion by many in the Shiite town of Labweh.
As the trucks carrying the refugees passed through Labweh, some residents swore at them and jeered.
Syria's conflict, which began in March 2011, has stoked existing political and sectarian tensions in Lebanon.
Many of the country's Sunnis back the Sunni-led uprising against President Bashar al-Assad, but much of the Shiite community, including the powerful Hezbollah movement, support the Syrian regime.
Source : Sapa-AFP /lk
Date : 07 Aug 2014 16:35
LazyLion
King of de Jungle
EX-PM HARIRI RETURNS TO LEBANON AMID JIHADIST CRISIS
Former premier Saad Hariri arrived back in Lebanon Friday after three years in self-imposed exile, and went straight into a meeting with current Prime Minister Tammam Salam, his office said.
The surprise return home by Hariri, the country's most prominent Sunni leader, comes after he announced on Wednesday that Saudi King Abdullah had promised him Riyadh would provide Lebanon with $1 billion to fight jihadists on the Syrian border.
Hariri's trip comes at a key moment for Lebanese Sunnis, who comprise about a third of the population of a country where Sunnis generally support the rebellion against President Bashar al-Assad in neighbouring Syria.
Lebanese Shiites, among them the powerful Hezbollah group, support Assad's regime.
Hariri, an early supporter of moderate rebels in Syria, opposes extremists who have become stronger in Syria and also have a presence in Lebanon, mainly in the northern port of Tripoli, Sidon in the south and the Bekaa valley in the east.
On Saturday, clashes erupted for the first time between jihadists from Syria and Lebanese forces in Arsal, a pro-rebel Sunni stronghold near the border with Syria.
Hariri, 44, has constantly voiced his unconditional support for the Lebanese army, calling it a "red line" not to be crossed.
However, some Sunnis criticise the army, accusing it of playing into the hands of Hezbollah which is also battling the rebels in Syria, exacerbating tensions between the two communities in Lebanon.
Hariri left the country in 2011 a few months after his government collapsed following the resignation of ministers from Hezbollah, his main political rival.
Source : Sapa-AFP /lk
Date : 08 Aug 2014 10:31
Former premier Saad Hariri arrived back in Lebanon Friday after three years in self-imposed exile, and went straight into a meeting with current Prime Minister Tammam Salam, his office said.
The surprise return home by Hariri, the country's most prominent Sunni leader, comes after he announced on Wednesday that Saudi King Abdullah had promised him Riyadh would provide Lebanon with $1 billion to fight jihadists on the Syrian border.
Hariri's trip comes at a key moment for Lebanese Sunnis, who comprise about a third of the population of a country where Sunnis generally support the rebellion against President Bashar al-Assad in neighbouring Syria.
Lebanese Shiites, among them the powerful Hezbollah group, support Assad's regime.
Hariri, an early supporter of moderate rebels in Syria, opposes extremists who have become stronger in Syria and also have a presence in Lebanon, mainly in the northern port of Tripoli, Sidon in the south and the Bekaa valley in the east.
On Saturday, clashes erupted for the first time between jihadists from Syria and Lebanese forces in Arsal, a pro-rebel Sunni stronghold near the border with Syria.
Hariri, 44, has constantly voiced his unconditional support for the Lebanese army, calling it a "red line" not to be crossed.
However, some Sunnis criticise the army, accusing it of playing into the hands of Hezbollah which is also battling the rebels in Syria, exacerbating tensions between the two communities in Lebanon.
Hariri left the country in 2011 a few months after his government collapsed following the resignation of ministers from Hezbollah, his main political rival.
Source : Sapa-AFP /lk
Date : 08 Aug 2014 10:31
MickeyD
RIP
LEBANON ARMY DEATH TOLL FROM JIHADIST CLASHES HITS 18
A Lebanese army soldier died Saturday of wounds sustained in clashes with jihadists near the Syrian border, raising the number of troops killed in the fighting to 18, the army said.
The fighting broke out on August 2 when jihadists from Syria attacked army and police posts in the eastern Lebanese town of Arsal after the arrest of a militant accused of belong to Syrian Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front.
During the fighting, 19 soldiers and 17 policemen were seized by the militants and are still being held hostage.
The Lebanese army began deploying into Arsal on Friday, after a group of Sunni clerics negotiated a truce that saw jihadists withdraw.
Source : Sapa-AFP /mr
Date : 09 Aug 2014 15:56
A Lebanese army soldier died Saturday of wounds sustained in clashes with jihadists near the Syrian border, raising the number of troops killed in the fighting to 18, the army said.
The fighting broke out on August 2 when jihadists from Syria attacked army and police posts in the eastern Lebanese town of Arsal after the arrest of a militant accused of belong to Syrian Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front.
During the fighting, 19 soldiers and 17 policemen were seized by the militants and are still being held hostage.
The Lebanese army began deploying into Arsal on Friday, after a group of Sunni clerics negotiated a truce that saw jihadists withdraw.
Source : Sapa-AFP /mr
Date : 09 Aug 2014 15:56
MickeyD
RIP
US PLEDGES ARMS FOR LEBANON ARMY AFTER JIHADIST CLASHES
The United States will supply Lebanon's army with additional munitions and ordnance in a bid to bolster the force after clashes with jihadists, the US ambassador to Beirut said Thursday.
The new assistance comes after Lebanon's military requested emergency aid following unprecedented clashes with jihadists in the eastern Arsal region of the country, on the Syrian border.
The clashes that began August 2 left 19 soldiers dead, and another 19 are still being held hostage despite a truce deal that saw the militants withdraw from the town after five days of fighting.
"The United States will soon deliver additional munitions and ordnance for offensive and defensive combat operations by the LAF (Lebanese Armed Forces)," US ambassador David Hale said in a statement.
"This assistance will enhance the LAF's ability to secure Lebanon's borders, protect Lebanon's people, and fight these violent extremist groups," he said.
"US military assistance will begin arriving in the next few weeks and continue in the months to follow."
He said the aid was part of a long-term US project to support Lebanon's army, often seen as one of the few institutions in the country commanding near universal support and allegiance.
"Since just last October, the United States has provided more than $120 million worth of training and equipment to the LAF to strengthen its role as the sole legitimate defender of Lebanon's sovereignty," Hale said.
Lebanon's army has publicly requested international assistance to bolster its poorly-equipped troops as they battle the violence spilling over from the war in neighbouring Syria.
Last December, Saudi Arabia pledged to buy the army $3 billion worth of weapons and equipment from France, but the items to be provided have yet to be finalised and nothing has been delivered so far.
Riyadh also pledged an additional $1 billion to pay for immediate needs, delivering it through their close ally, former Lebanese prime minister Saad Hariri.
That additional aid was announced during the fighting in Arsal that left dozens of militants and civilians dead, raising new fears about the effects of Syria's war on Lebanon's stability.
Source : Sapa-AFP /kd
Date : 14 Aug 2014 14:57
The United States will supply Lebanon's army with additional munitions and ordnance in a bid to bolster the force after clashes with jihadists, the US ambassador to Beirut said Thursday.
The new assistance comes after Lebanon's military requested emergency aid following unprecedented clashes with jihadists in the eastern Arsal region of the country, on the Syrian border.
The clashes that began August 2 left 19 soldiers dead, and another 19 are still being held hostage despite a truce deal that saw the militants withdraw from the town after five days of fighting.
"The United States will soon deliver additional munitions and ordnance for offensive and defensive combat operations by the LAF (Lebanese Armed Forces)," US ambassador David Hale said in a statement.
"This assistance will enhance the LAF's ability to secure Lebanon's borders, protect Lebanon's people, and fight these violent extremist groups," he said.
"US military assistance will begin arriving in the next few weeks and continue in the months to follow."
He said the aid was part of a long-term US project to support Lebanon's army, often seen as one of the few institutions in the country commanding near universal support and allegiance.
"Since just last October, the United States has provided more than $120 million worth of training and equipment to the LAF to strengthen its role as the sole legitimate defender of Lebanon's sovereignty," Hale said.
Lebanon's army has publicly requested international assistance to bolster its poorly-equipped troops as they battle the violence spilling over from the war in neighbouring Syria.
Last December, Saudi Arabia pledged to buy the army $3 billion worth of weapons and equipment from France, but the items to be provided have yet to be finalised and nothing has been delivered so far.
Riyadh also pledged an additional $1 billion to pay for immediate needs, delivering it through their close ally, former Lebanese prime minister Saad Hariri.
That additional aid was announced during the fighting in Arsal that left dozens of militants and civilians dead, raising new fears about the effects of Syria's war on Lebanon's stability.
Source : Sapa-AFP /kd
Date : 14 Aug 2014 14:57
LazyLion
King of de Jungle
LEBANON ARMY BATTLES GUNMEN NEAR SYRIA BORDER
Lebanese troops clashed with gunmen Thursday in a mainly Sunni Muslim area near the Syrian border where there was deadly fighting with rebels from over the frontier three weeks ago.
"Gunmen fired on an army checkpoint in the Aarsal area before dawn, without causing any casualties," a security official said.
"Clashes are ongoing," the official said, speaking early afternoon.
Source : Sapa-AFP /ma
Date : 28 Aug 2014 12:41
Lebanese troops clashed with gunmen Thursday in a mainly Sunni Muslim area near the Syrian border where there was deadly fighting with rebels from over the frontier three weeks ago.
"Gunmen fired on an army checkpoint in the Aarsal area before dawn, without causing any casualties," a security official said.
"Clashes are ongoing," the official said, speaking early afternoon.
Source : Sapa-AFP /ma
Date : 28 Aug 2014 12:41