UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Sigrid Kaag is preparing to call on the UN Security Council for additional aid for the Lebanese Army.
During a meeting with Lebanese Defense Miinster Samir Moqbel, Kaag requested a visit to military outposts in Lebanon to have a “closer look” into the Army’s needs.
Having a clear picture of the Army's situation would help her convince the Security Council of the urgent need for aid, she added.
Kaag also called on the international community to increase support for Lebanon by offering equipment and military training. She urged countries that had already pledged support to continue to do so.
A statement released by Kaag’s media office said the two discussed the security situation in Lebanon, with a particular focus on Lebanon’s eastern border.
The special coordinator praised the Lebanese Army and security forces for their efforts to safeguard Lebanon’s security and stability from threats posed by extremist militants, the statement added.
Lebanon is hosting more than one million Syrian refugees. Despite an official policy of neutrality toward the conflict in Syria, it has regularly seen the fighting spill over the border.
The military has routinely hammered militants embedded along the border, particularly on the outskirts of Ras Baalbek and Arsal, for about 10-15 minutes every few hours to repel potential attacks by Daesh and the Nusra Front.
The policy of pre-emptive shelling was put in place after eight soldiers were killed and 22 others wounded in clashes with Daesh militants on the outskirts of Ras Baalbek late January.
Source: MENA