Islamic State militants are attempting to infiltrate Lebanon from Syria, Beirut's security chief has warned. Forces have been put on high alert to prevent the civil war in Syria spilling across the border.
Incursions are taking place in Qalamoun Mountains, which marks Lebanon's eastern border with Syria, where Islamic State (also known as ISIS, or ISIL) militants are trying to take over Lebanese villages to gain better fighting positions, Major General Abbas Ibrahim, head of Lebanon's Directorate of General Security (DGS), told Reuters.
“Islamic State does not want to dominate Qalamoun... but they want to use it to secure their backs in the region through controlling [Lebanese] villages in contact with the Qalamoun area,” Ibrahim said, adding that the number of militants in the Qalamoun region is increasing.