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BEIRUT: The Lebanese army said on Friday that it “will not allow any breach of security or violation of civil peace” amid fears that rising tensions in the neighboring Syrian Arab Republic could spread to Lebanon.

In a statement, the army added that “overcoming this phase requires the unity and solidarity of the Lebanese, awareness of the gravity of the situation, and their responsibility, and refraining from taking any action that would have unintended consequences for the security of the Lebanese.”

Towns and villages in Mount Lebanon, home to the Druze community, have witnessed attempts to block roads and assault Syrian workers in recent days following the renewed clashes in Sweida, Syria.

President Joseph Aoun chaired a meeting of security leaders on Friday.

A military source told Arab News: “The security, military, and intelligence agencies have taken the utmost caution and vigilance to thwart any attempt at sedition within Lebanon.”

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam spoke with Druze Sheikh Sami Abi Al-Mona and praised his “responsible role in calming tensions, quelling strife, and preserving civil peace in Lebanon,” according to Salam’s office.

The media office said the two sides stressed that “what is happening outside Lebanon’s borders should not be turned into a source of internal incitement.”

An extraordinary meeting of the Druze Religious Council in Lebanon concluded with former Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt calling for “an immediate ceasefire in Sweida in preparation for direct dialogue between the Syrian state and local actors.”

Jumblatt added that “Jabal Al-Arab is an integral part of Syria.”

He condemned the Israeli attacks on Syria and Lebanon, and called for the “formation of an investigation committee to uncover the crimes committed against the people of Sweida and the Bedouins.”

Al-Mona declared the council’s “full solidarity with our people in Sweida, and with the wounded and injured as a result of the recent unfortunate events.”

He called on “everyone to reject any divisive tendency,” and stressed “the need to adhere to the ceasefire agreement signed two days ago.”

Al-Mona denounced “the attack on Sunnis,” considering it a reaction.

“The council neither justifies nor accepts this type of action, whatever its reasons,” he said.

Al-Mona rejected any Israeli interference in Syrian affairs, calling on the international community to open a transparent investigation into the events and hold those responsible accountable. He also declared his rejection of “the spread of strife to Lebanon.”

The Grand Mufti of the Lebanese Republic, Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian, the highest religious authority in the Sunni sect, contacted Al-Mona, and both sides affirmed their “complete rejection of being drawn into any inflammatory rhetoric or covering up any provocative actions that would inflame sectarian tensions and give a false image of the relationship between the two sects.”

The two sides called for “avoiding falling into the trap of strife” and emphasized their “rejection of any foreign interventions and attacks that contribute to undermining the unity that has always governed the historical relationship between the two sects.”

Both called on “the Syrian state, the religious sheikhs of Jabal Al-Arab, religious authorities, religious figures, and tribes to work seriously and effectively to bring about an immediate end to the ongoing violence and to expel the extremists who, intentionally or unintentionally, contribute to the implementation of suspicious plans.”

RABA, Occupied West Bank: Palestinians and the Israeli army clashed on Friday during a march in a village in the northern occupied West Bank against a newly established Israeli settlement outpost.
“We came to this area to express our protest and say: ‘this land is ours, not yours’,” Ghassan Bazour, head of Raba’s village council, told AFP.
While all Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal under international law, only outposts such as the one established overnight in Raba are also prohibited under Israeli law.
An AFP journalist at the scene reported that a group of men holding Palestinian flags and those of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas’ Fatah party walked from Raba toward a nearby hill on top of which settlers had established the outpost.
After conducting the Muslim Friday prayer at the base of the hill, people continued toward the outpost, until Israeli soldiers arrived on the scene and dispersed the crowd with tear gas, the journalist said.
The army did not respond to an AFP request for comment on Friday’s events in Raba.
The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that its teams had provided support to 13 people suffering from tear gas inhalation.
Village council chief Bazour said that settlers had originally taken over the hill’s high ground to establish an outpost and deny Palestinians access to nearby agricultural lands.
“There is now a settler outpost here (which) will continue to devour the land and empty these areas,” Muayad Shaaban, head of the Palestinian Authority’s Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, told AFP.
Despite it being dispersed by the army, Shaaban was enthusiastic about Friday’s march, given that violence in recent years has made all protests against settlers dangerous for Palestinians.
“This model of resistance must be applied throughout the West Bank. I call for massive marches... to stop this aggression, this terrorism,” he said.
Violence in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967, has soared since the Hamas attack of October 2023 triggered the Gaza war.
Since October 7, 2023, Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 956 Palestinians, including many militants, according to health ministry figures.
Over the same period, at least 36 Israelis, including soldiers, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations, according to official figures.