On February 23, Lebanon’s Minister of Interior Bassam Mawlawi announced that the Internal Security Forces (ISF) had thwarted a plan by ISIS to carry out three bombings in the Southern Suburb of the Lebanese capital, Beirut, which is known to be stronghold of Hezbollah.
“A terrorist group had recruited young Palestinian men in Lebanon to carry out major bombing attacks using explosive belts,” Mawlawi said at a press conference. “Three separate targets were to be hit at the same time.”
The bombings were planned by an ISIS commander based in the Palestinian refugee camp of Ain al-Hilweh, which is located just outside the southern Lebanese city of Sidon. The commander passed instructions to an undercover agent recruited by the ISF.
On February 7, the undercover agent was instructed to prepare attacks on a Shiite religious compound in the al-Laylaki neighborhood, the Imam al-Kazem compound in Haret Hreik and the Al-Nasser religious centre in Beirut’s Ouzai suburb.
The undercover agent was given three explosive vests and other weapons with orders to conduct the bombings on February 16.
So far, the ISF have identified four suspected terrorists residing in the Ain al-Hilweh camp who were involved in the terror plot. Mawlawi said that two suspects were arrested without clarifying if they were among the four identified in Ain al-Hilweh. It’s worth noting that Lebanese government forces are not allowed to enter Palestinian refugee camps in the country.
ISIS has been working to expand its influence in Lebanon. Last year, Lebanon’s al-Modon revealed in a report that more than 100 men from northern Lebanon traveled to Iraq through Syria to join the ranks of ISIS. At least eight of the men have been reported killed in Iraq since December.
The terrorist group appears to be taking advantage of the bad situation in Lebanon, who has been experiencing a serious economic crisis for the last few years.
This is so transparently in the interests of nobody but Israel that this headline could be interpreted as satire. I’ve come to believe that ISIS has given up on even trying to come up with an Islamic justification for their actions anymore. Pathetic.
Not strongholds, they were mosques. Those are populated mosques and if isis succeed would’ve don’t a lot more damage than attacking Hezbollah strongholds
Do you believe that ISIS is created by Israel?
All the enormous death and suffering that these extremists are causing and now it’s as clear as ever who is REALLY behind them. Sad.
ISIS…just Zio terrorist Jew scumm of humanity, children of Lucifer recuits, to attack innocent Muslims. Paid for by US and maintained and cared for by isrealhell
More like pair for by Saudi and UAE, trained by CIA and maintained by Mossad
Lucifer is not in the same league as the zionist terrorist filth.