The Lebanese Army Commander in Chief General Joseph Aoun received in his office in Yarzeh Monday the French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu, accompanied by the French Ambassador to Lebanon, Ms. Anne Grillo, and the French Military Attaché Colonel Gregory Medina, with an accompanying delegation.
They discussed the cooperation relations between the armies of both countries, the Lebanese Army said on its website.
Prior to his trip to Lebanon, the French Defense Minister on Friday said via his Twitter account, “I'm going to Lebanon to spend New Year’s Eve with UNIFIL’s French soldiers in the southern part of the country. During this trip, I will also visit Beirut Port’s explosion site, where our soldiers and the Lebanese Army cooperated closely.”
On 29 December, the Lebanese Army Commander in Chief inaugurated in the Bekaa region, the Jurd Brital-Baalbek road (22 km long), which connects a number of outposts of the 4th Land Border Regiment, Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported.
This was in the presence of the regiment commander and his officers, the governor of Baalbek-Hermel, Judge Bashir Khader, and a number of mayors and officials in the region. The road facilitates the movement of the military between the aforementioned outposts, and the control of sensitive border areas that were previously used by terrorists to move across the eastern borders. It also helps citizens to access their land.
After that, the Army Commander inspected the outposts of Nabi Sibat, Miqyal Al-Hillani and Al-Talajah, where he met the soldiers and congratulated them on the occasion of the glorious holidays, wishing them and their families a better year, and addressing them with a speech in which he said: “My visit to you today is an expression of my deep appreciation for all that you have done during the past year amid the difficult circumstances that our country suffers from it. Your presence here is essential and necessary. You preserved Lebanon and wrote history, and it will remember that you protected it. Without you, this country would not have survived.”
“Defending our homeland is an honor for us, and it is a defense of honor and identity. We are proud of you, and Lebanon is proud of you as well. You have gained the love and trust of the Lebanese, as well as the trust of the international community, and it is an essential factor in our continuity through the assistance provided by the Lebanese, residents and expatriates, and countries which are friends of Lebanon,” he added.
He stressed that the army is steadfast, cohesive, and capable of continuing, contrary to all the rumors about it, including the number of deserters, noting that there are thousands of young men who have applied for recruitment to join the military establishment.
General Aoun also stressed that the Army Command is closely following the situation of the elements through their superiors, and is striving with all its efforts to alleviate the impact of the crisis on them by supporting the Military Healthcare and securing various aid, pointing out that Lebanon will remain thanks to the army, and that it is necessary to be patient until the crisis is over.
General Aoun also inspected 4th Land Border Regiment HQ in Baalbek, and was briefed on the operational missions it carries out and the challenges it faces in the context of border surveillance and control. While praising the efforts of the regiment's officers, he considered that they and their comrades in the rest of the units possess initiative, solid will and strong faith, and called on them to adhere to their faith in their country because they are all graduates of the school of patience, will and faith.
