BEIRUT: Political and military officials should take a critical look on the phenomenon of defections from the Lebanese Army, Future MP Jean Ogassapian said Monday.
“We must not take the phenomenon of Army defections lightly,” Ogassapian told a local radio station.
"Security challenges are not just internally focused and we must not underestimate them or pin them down to a particular area," he said. “This issue requires political support as well as a supportive environment for the Army, especially in areas where takfiri elements are possibly active."
Ogassapian said the political umbrella for the Lebanese Army “begins with the election of a president and the restoration of the institutional and legislative roles.”
“In the shadow of this danger, it is not acceptable that each [political] camp has a foreign agenda away from any dialogue,” he stressed.
Ogassapian raised doubts about the international coalition’s strikes against ISIS.
"What we see today in terms of the Western coalition’s military operations to strike at ISIS in Syria and Iraq does not inspire confidence," he argued, calling on Lebanese to put their differences aside to better face terrorism.
At least three have reportedly defected from the Lebanese Army in the last week.
Analysts, however, played down the defections, saying they do not post a grievous strategic risk to the military, but stressed that the root causes must be addressed seriously to preserve unity.
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