BEIRUT — Hezbollah is ready to confront jihadist groups in defending Lebanon, according to Hezbollah lawmaker Ali Fayyad. In an exclusive interview, Fayyad told Al-Monitor, “Hezbollah is determined to fight takfiri groups.” He said, “If the situation were to worsen, Hezbollah is ready to defend Lebanon.” Fayyad described Lebanon as being “under direct threat” from the Islamic State (IS).
The northeastern Lebanese village of Arsal, adjacent to the Syrian border, has been the scene of violent clashes between the Lebanese army and jihadist militants from IS and Jabhat al-Nusra. A number of Lebanese army soldiers and security personnel were taken captive by the jihadists during these clashes, and two of them were executed by IS.