Lebanese army vows to respond to any attack against its units

Lebanese Army commander Gen. Joseph Aoun vowed Thursday that the army will respond firmly to any attack against the military centers or the residential compounds surrounding the Ain Helweh Palestinian refugee Camp or to any attempt to move the clashes outside the said area.

Aoun inspected the military units deployed in the southern city of Sidon and the surrounding areas of Ain al-Hilweh Thursday morning, and was briefed on the measures being taken to combat the violence, the National News Agency (NNA) reported.

"The security in the camp [Ain al-Hilweh], and in any other Lebanese area is part of Lebanon's security as a whole," the Army Commander said.

He called for more security in Sidon, particularly in areas surrounding the camp, confirming that the army will retaliate against any violent attack, whether it is aimed at the security forces or the residents of the camp.

"It is in everyone's best interest to keep Lebanon stable, through making sure that these extremists and fugitives don't have a safe haven, and cooperating with the army and security forces in order to catch them," Aoun said.

Ain al-Hilweh witnessed intense clashes for nearly a week, after Fatah Movement fighters and members of the joint Palestinian security force faced off against an extremist group led by Al-Qaeda-linked fundamentalist Bilal Badr in the camp's Al-Tiri neighborhood.

The clashes left at least 10 dead and more than 50 wounded over six days. Endit