Lebanon army arrests al-Nusra commander: Report

The Lebanese army has arrested a commander of the al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front near the border with neighboring Syria, security sources say.

A Lebanese security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said on Wednesday that the army intelligence had arrested an al-Nusra commander in the region of Masharia al-Qaa, which is situated along Lebanon’s border with crisis-hit Syria.

A spokesman for the Lebanese army also confirmed the report and said, “A man suspected of being an al-Nusra Front commander was arrested in the east of the country,” adding, “He is being interrogated.”

The Lebanese army frequently arrests those who are suspected of having links with the extremist groups such as the Abdullah Azzam brigades and al-Nusra Front that have claimed responsibility for a wave of deadly bomb attacks in Lebanon.

Such al-Qaeda-affiliated Takfiri groups have also been behind many of the deadly bomb attacks targeting both civilians and government institutions across neighboring Syria.

Syria has been gripped by deadly violence since 2011. Over 130,000 people have reportedly been killed and millions displaced due to the conflict.

According to reports, the Western powers and their regional allies — Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey — are supporting the militants operating inside Syria.

In a letter to his Lebanese counterpart, Adnan Mansour, in June 2013, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem underlined Syria’s “keenness on Lebanon’s security,” calling on the Lebanese army to control the “borders in a way that guarantees security and stability” in both countries.