DAILY SCOPE: Army to Boost Strategy in Face of Terrorism

Local Editor

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In light of the regional and domestic developments, Lebanese newspapers focused on the new strategies to be adopted by the Lebanese army in its confrontation to the terrorist armed groups in Arsal and other areas. Papers also touched on the role of the resistance in fending off attacks by the terrorist groups and pushing them towards confrontation with one another, ie Daesh fighting with al-Nusra...

Army Protects Northern Towns in Bekaa --- AS-SAFIR

Military sources said in comments published in As-Safir newspaper that the Lebanese Army is reevaluating its strategies in the north Bekaa Valley. According to the paper, the army command modified its positions in north Bekaa, the number of soldiers deployed and the quality of weaponry used.

"Brigades in Arsal were fortified," the sources stressed, adding that all the army posts in the area have been secured. Moreover, the source said that the army has shifted from the position of ‘reaction' to ‘action', which means that the army will attack the terrorist groups upon need.

Moreover, military analysts, according to the paper, noted that Hizbullah is pushing the al-Nusra front members towards Daesh. This might increase pressure on al-Nusra especially as it has been engaged in a fierce war against Daesh.

Al-Nusra Front, the al-Qaeda affiliate and the so-called Islamic State group overran Arsal last August, and are still holding 25 soldiers and policemen hostage.

Army to Fend Assaults by Terrorists --- AL-JOMHOURIYA

The Army Command is studying the cabinet decision to take all necessary measures to deploy inside the northeastern border town of Arsal to repel any assault by militants who are entrenched on the mountainous area along the Lebanese-Syrian border.

"The army is proceeding with its deployment in Arsal, Ras-Baalbek and the areas of engagement," a high-ranking military source said in comments published in al-Joumhouria newspaper on Friday.

The source pointed out that the army command is mulling all possibility, hailing the government's decision. Also, the source said that the military "has been left with a wide margin of independence in securing the situation in Arsal and tightening the noose on militants on its outskirts," pointing out that the land between Lebanon and Syria is poorly demarcated.

"The army is evaluating its capabilities... to take the necessary decision," it said, adding that the military will not be dragged into an uncertain war.
The source further went on to say "Arsal didn't turn into a military zone and an emergency state hasn't been declared... we are acting according to the country's high interest."

On Thursday, the cabinet tasked the military with "taking all necessary measures to deploy inside Arsal and protect it from attacks and the dangers of armed terrorist groups."

Taliban Splintering, Shifting Loyalty to Baghdadi --- NEW YORK TIMES

On Wednesday, a spokesman for the Afghan Army corps responsible for the region said Islamic State fighters had captured and beheaded 10 Taliban who had been fleeing a military offensive, though that account has not been confirmed by other officials, reported the New York Times.

In places where militants in Afghanistan have adopted the Islamic State creed of embracing atrocity and ruling by fear, their strategy has been to aggressively attack the Taliban, just as in Syria where the group early on picked fights with more established units affiliated with Al Qaeda. And the evidence so far this spring suggests the influence of the Islamic State is growing.

After more than a decade of remaining remarkably unified around the elusive figure of Mullah Muhammad Omar, the Taliban are splintering to a degree not seen before, as hundreds of insurgents have shifted their loyalty to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State and self-declared caliph of the Muslim world.

Source: al-Ahed News