Lebanonupdated 32m ago2 min read
MapLebanese Security Forces Arrest Five Alleged Hezbollah Members in North Lebanon
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Five Hezbollah members arrested by Lebanese forces near Batroun-Bsharri; maps and documents seized. Suspects allegedly tore up documents detailing locations and weapons during arrest.
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Arrests in Batroun Highlands
Lebanese security forces arrested five alleged Hezbollah members on Tuesday in a mountainous area between the Batroun and Bcharre districts in Lebanon's North governorate, after an Internal Security Forces patrol spotted the men in a vehicle acting suspicious. Riad Tawk, a journalist for Beirut Time, reported that the suspects had documents containing lists of locations across the Koura, Batroun and Bcharre districts as well as names and weapons, including sniper rifles.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said after the arrests in the Batroun highlands that “the era of impunity is over” and that investigations would be pursued to the end. The arrests unfolded as officers approached the suspects, and the men began destroying documents and maps in their possession before being taken into custody.
Documents, Questions, and Criticism
Riad Tawk reported in a video published by Beirut Time that the documents contained lists of locations across the Koura, Batroun, and Bsharri districts, as well as references to weapons, including sniper rifles.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the investigations would have “no boundary other than the rule of law,” after the arrests in the Batroun highlands.
Fady Dairy, Deputy Head of Political Affairs of the Syriac Union Party in Lebanon, asked, “What mission were they sent to carry out? Who dispatched these criminal groups?” and argued that the region’s land must not be treated as an open arena for armed groups.
Fady Dairy rejected limiting investigations to lower-level operatives while shielding authorities and commanders, and he urged the president and prime minister to accelerate efforts to dismantle the weapons of Iran-backed Hezbollah.
State Authority and Wider Security
UNIFIL said on Tuesday that about a dozen rounds were fired at one of its patrols near Wadi Jilu in Lebanon’s Tyre district, and the patrol returned fire before the shooting stopped.
UNIFIL called for an investigation and reiterated that deliberate attacks on peacekeepers are violations of Security Council resolution 1701 and international humanitarian law.
In Beirut, President Joseph Aoun defended the army and security forces after criticism sparked by comments from army commander Gen. Rodolph Haykal on Nov. 7, and Aoun said, “No one can call themselves a sovereignist and claim to love their country while criticizing the army and security forces.”
Aoun added that extending the authority of the state involves a monopoly on arms by the state, maintaining security, and ensuring the economic and social conditions of brothers in the South, while reiterating the Lebanese authorities’ stated objectives, notably Hezbollah’s disarmament.