The Lebanese Army said on Friday it would remain the guarantor of Lebanons unity, assuring citizens there were no indicators that regional and international conflicts would reflect negatively on Lebanon.In a rare statement issued by the Guidance Directory of the Lebanese Army Command and addressing army soldiers, the command stressed that the army “will remain the guarantor of the unity and the sustainability of the nation, and [it] will not allow opportunists under any slogan, or circumstance, to mix between political disputes and the path of security and stability in order to tamper with security and inflame the fires of sectarian tensions.
Fears of Sunni-Shiite strife have mounted after Hizbullah said it expected some of its members to be targeted by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) probing the assassination of late Premier Rafik Hariri. The Army Command said the diversity of the opinions of the Lebanese regarding raised matters was a well-known democratic phenomenon as long as it did not touch national principles.
The army [also] lashed out at sides spreading rumors regarding the unity of the Lebanese Army and security forces following the issuance of the impending indictment. “It indicates the inability of those [sides] to make political gains and [pursue] private interests and their attempt to undermine the first national institution that represents a red line for all Lebanese,” said the statement. The army noted that its main mission to defend the countrys borders against Israeli aggression would not affect its readiness to combat terrorism, pursue Israeli agents and preserve civil peace.