Syria militants threatening Lebanon security: Interior minister

Marwan Sharbel also said that members of the terrorist Free Syrian Army have used Lebanon’s mountainous terrain to regroup before staging attacks on Syrian forces across the border.

The Lebanese minister also stated that militants have set up training camps inside Lebanon.

According to Sharbel, the militants who cross into Lebanon as refugees are arming members of the refugee community in Lebanon to fight against the Syrian government.

There are currently almost 320,000 Syrian refugees in Lebanon, most of whom live with host communities rather than in camps like those in Jordan and Turkey.

In January, the Lebanese government asked for USD180 million to help care for the refugees.

Syria has been experiencing unrest since mid-March 2011. Many people, including large numbers of security personnel, have been killed in the violence.

The Syrian government says the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and there are reports that a very large number of the militants are foreign nationals.

In a key speech on January 6, Assad called for an end to the terrorist operations inside Syria and urged “concerned states and parties” to stop funding, arming and harboring militants.

He added that his government is always ready to hold talks with the opposition and would call for a “comprehensive national dialogue” after foreign parties end their support for the militants and the terrorist activities cease in the country.