Terrorist Incursion into Lebanon Draws Iran’s Condemnation
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned recent terrorist activities by the Takfiri groups in the Lebanese border town of Arsal, and voiced Tehran’s support for calm and stability in the Arab country.
Tuesday’s condemnation of the terrorist moves by Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham came after Takfiri militants carried out a large-scale incursion into Lebanon on Saturday.
Lebanese troops battled rebels on Monday. Dozens of armored personnel carriers, tanks and elite troops arrived to surround the town of Arsal, some 88 kilometers from the capital Beirut. On Monday, thousands of Lebanese civilians and Syrian refugees fled the clashes in vehicles packed with all they could carry.
A Lebanese military source, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said on Monday that fighting in the mountains around Arsal had killed at least 16 soldiers and dozens of militants.
Elsewhere in her comments, the Iranian spokeswoman voiced sympathy with the Lebanese government, army and nation and also the bereaved families of victims of the fighting in that country.
In a reminder of the grave threat that Takfiri groups pose to “regional peace and stability," Afkham noted, “Battling the ominous phenomenon of terrorism and its supporters requires the international community’s determination and regional, international cooperation.”
She also expressed the hope that Lebanon would weather the “delicate stage” in light of “national unity and consolidation of all political currents.”