Hussein Darwish wrote about Asharq Al-Awsat:
Lebanese wanted for kidnapping for ransom, shooting and drug trafficking are taking refuge in villages on the Syrian border, where they are hiding to escape persecution by the Lebanese army in northeastern Lebanon.
In recent months, the Lebanese army has conducted its security campaigns in the Bekaa, with the aim of pursuing wanted persons, which have given a calm that reflected reassurance to the inhabitants of the Baalbek-Hermel region, after the army had tightened his hold on the region in 2022, through almost daily raids that resulted in the killing and arrest of large numbers of dangerous merchants wanted by Smuggling and gang leaders of murders, robberies and kidnappings.
Sources on the ground told Asharq Al-Awsat that those who have escaped the Lebanese Army’s continued security operations have taken refuge in Lebanese-inhabited Syrian border villages in the Qusayr countryside, for the purpose of disguise. He said a large number of wanted people “managed to cross the border to escape the pursuit of security”. He stressed that their arrest “needs a state of security coordination between the two countries in order to put an end to this phenomenon”.
Residents say the wanted Lebanese “have taken refuge in camps in the Lebanese-inhabited town of Zeita inside Syria, and the town is now home to wanted people who have committed kidnappings for ransom.” He said resorting to this city and other adjacent rural border areas, “was an unavoidable option for wanted people who feel unsafe and are subject to intense pursuit and raids by the Lebanese army and its intelligence directorate within Lebanese territory”.
In recent months, the Lebanese army has intensified raids carried out in absolute secrecy by a special battalion managed by operations rooms, as well as special raids carried out by forces of intervention regiments, airborne forces, commandos, and branch, sectors and units military of regional intelligence, in cooperation and with the participation of the air force and air reconnaissance units, which carried out dozens of accurate aerial surveillance operations. These measures have provided a surprising element through which the army has been able to arrest fugitives and drug dealers and confiscate equipment for the production of Captagon and hashish pills.
In its raids in 2022, the Army used American Cessna and Scan Eagle drones in surveillance and follow-up operations, as well as military helicopters in pursuit and follow-up operations. Security sources say: “The close and well-considered coordination has had the desired results, as it has led to further arrests of wanted persons, traders of grain and contraband, those who impose sisters and those involved in kidnappings for ransom, as well as those wanted for theft, robbery and gang car theft”. He said the army “strengthened its grip on the scene, which has left people in the region at ease.”
The actions of the army created an element of security in the hearts of the citizens of the Bekaa, and prompted the clans and merchants to raise banners of thanks to the army on the international highway at the entrance of the city of Baalbek, and gave thanks to spread safety, security and reassurance in the hearts of the citizens, after extending his authority in the region of Baalbek-Hermel.
The measures were reflected in the reduction of random shootings following prosecutions and arrests and in the strict enforcement of laws. During the last two weeks of 2022, the army arrested a number of shooters in the city of Baalbek and villages in the district. The Land Border Regiment raised land banks at a distance of 22km in the Lebanese interior along the Jose coast from al-Qaa borders in the east to al-Qasr in the west in northern Hermel to halt operations of smuggling at illegal crossroads.
Sources on the ground said these measures “reduced smuggling operations that were openly involving trucks crossing illegal borders in both directions, and turned the smuggling business into one-man operations using motorcycles.”
The Army worked to connect the inventory roads on the Eastern Range with the Brital moors on the outskirts of the city of Baalbek to facilitate tracking, control and movement operations, which facilitated the Land Border Regiment to seize and confiscate large loads of Captagon pills on the moors of the eastern range in the moors of Brital and Nahla which was en route to the Arab countries.
Under the slogan “There is no cover for those who violate security”, the Lebanese army raided the northern and southern neighborhoods of Al-Sharawneh, removing all sources of tension, either by fleeing the wanted people from the neighborhood or by arresting them , as he arrested a number of wanted persons.
The Lebanese army’s measures have been a relief for citizens by avoiding stray bullets threatening lives and property, as well as solar panels, water and diesel tanks on the roofs of houses as each year ends and another comes year . While the Lebanese held a general salute and another reception, the army was carrying out a series of raids in the Sharawna neighborhood of Baalbek and in the city of Hortala, east of Baalbek, pursuing wanted persons and confiscating military weapons.
Armed Forces Commander General Joseph Aoun visited the region last Thursday and inaugurated the Jurd Brital-Baalbek road (22 km long), which connects a number of centers of the 4th Land Border Regiment, which are the centers of Miqyal al-Hillani and Nabi Sibat in the Brital Jurds, and al-Talaja and Amshki centers in the Baalbek Jurds In the presence of the regimental commander and his officers, the governor of Baalbek-Hermel, Judge Bashir Khader and a number of mayors and officials of the region. The open road facilitates the movement of the military between the aforementioned centers and the control of sensitive border areas that were previously used by terrorists to cross the eastern borders. It also helps citizens gain access to their land.
After that, the army commander inspected the centers of Nabi Sibat, Miqyal al-Hillani and al-Talajah, where he met the soldiers and congratulated them on the glorious holidays, wishing them and their families a happy new year. best and addressing them with a word in which he said: “My visit today is an expression of my deep appreciation for all that you have done during the past year amidst the circumstances”. The difficulties that our country suffers. Your presence here is essential and necessary. You preserved Lebanon and wrote history, and it will remember that you protected it. Without you, this country would not have survived.
He added: “Defending our homeland is an honor for us, and it is a defense of honor and identity. We grow with you, and Lebanon also grows with you. You have earned the love and trust of the Lebanese, as well as the trust of the international community, and is an essential factor in our continuation through the assistance provided by the Lebanese, residents and expatriates and friendly countries. He stressed that the army is resolute, cohesive and capable of continuing, contrary to all rumors about it, including the number of deserters, noting that there are thousands of young men who have applied to volunteer to join the ranks of the establishment military.
General Aoun also stressed that the leadership is closely following the situation of the elements through their hierarchical leaders, and is using all its efforts to alleviate the impact of the crisis on them by strengthening military medicine and ensuring various aid , underlining that Lebanon will remain with the presence of the army, and that it is necessary to be patient until the crisis is overcome.
General Aoun also inspected the command of the 4th Land Border Regiment in Baalbek and was briefed on the operational missions it carries out and the challenges it faces in the context of border control and control. While commending the efforts of the officers of the regiment, he felt that they and their comrades in the rest of the units possessed initiative, solid will and strong faith, and urged them to adhere to their faith in their country because they are all children of the school of patience, will and faith.
