Lebanese army to conduct Syria border operation

By Charbel Abboud

BEIRUT (AA) - The Lebanese army will carry out a "deliberate operation" against militants near border with Syria, Prime Minister Saad Hariri said Tuesday.

Speaking in parliament, Hariri said the government has given the army freedom to act in the Juroud Arsal area.

The Lebanese premier denied any coordination with the Syrian regime regarding the planned operation.

"There is neither coordination nor a joint [operation] room between the Lebanese and Syrian armies,” he said, without specifying the date of the operation.

Juroud Arsal has been a base for militants carrying out attacks against Lebanese forces throughout the Syrian civil war.

In 2014, the area saw deadly clashes between Lebanese forces and militants coming from Syria.

Last month, four suicide bombings struck a Syrian refugee camp in Arsal during an army raid during which scores of refugees were arrested.