A rigged car was discovered in the mountainous region of Wadi Hmayyed on the outskirts of Arsal, according to a statement issued by the Army. The military brought explosives experts to the site and cordoned off the area around where the vehicle containing “a large quantity of explosives” was spotted.

Also in Arsal, the Army arrested three armed Syrian nationals in a car coming from Syria after their vehicle failed to stop at the behest of soldiers, prompting them to fire and shoot out a tire. A quantity of ammunitions was confiscated during the arrest, according to an Army statement.

Meanwhile, Tripoli gunmen and fighters went into hiding in anticipation of the government’s security plan, as the military prosecutor, in an unprecedented move, issued warrants against 200 suspects, including militia leaders linked to clashes between rival neighborhoods.

The Army was reticent to divulge details of the fine points of the security plan or its intended start date.

The government ratified the security plan during a session last week to end the sectarian fighting between rival gunmen in Tripoli and secure the porous border with Syria along the Bekaa Valley.

NJF/NJF