Lebanese government should force Hezbollah out of Syria: Geagea

BEIRUT: The recent militant attack on Lebanese border towns should prompt the government to force Hezbollah to pull out of Syria, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said Monday.

“The attack by the militants on the outskirts of Brital and Nabi Sebat demonstrated once again the need for the Lebanese government to take a decision to force Hezbollah to withdraw from Syria if the government is serious in securing the safety of Lebanese territory,” Geagea told the Central News Agency.

Hezbollah sources told The Daily Star Sunday that Nusra Front attacked two posts on the border with Syria near Lebanese villages. Fierce clashes ensued, killing eight Hezbollah fighters and at least 14 militants.

Geagea reiterated a long-standing demand by the March 14 coalition to expand the mandate of the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon to cover the porous border between Lebanon and Syria.

“The government should also provide support for the Army in line with the U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 to control the Lebanese-Syrian border and to connect the operation room of the Army with that of the international coalition to have the needed equipment to defend the border,” he said.

The party chief was referring to the U.S.-led alliance targeting ISIS positions in Iraq and Syria to destroy the group, which joined forces with the Nusra Front to briefly take over Lebanon's northeast border town of Arsal in August before retreating to the outskirts.

The jihadist groups took more than 30 Lebanese soldiers and policemen as hostages when they withdrew from the town.

“Hezbollah's withdrawal from Syria not only secures the border but also secures the release of the captives,” he said, referring to the remaining 21 hostages.

Nusra has released seven of its captives and killed one, while ISIS has beheaded two.

Geagea criticized the government for “running away” from the issue of Hezbollah’s presence in Syria, saying: “Hezbollah's continued fight there will bring the Lebanese, particularly the Shiites, more crises and tragedies.”