Lebanese army determined to maintain security

Lebanon's caretaker Defence Minister Fayez Ghosn said Friday that some sides "have awakened strife" in Lebanon but the army is determined to maintain internal security. In a statement, the minister said that recent unrest and incitement against the army are aimed at harming its morale in order to drag Lebanon toward strife. Ghosn stressed the army "will not stand idly by" and will " resort to force when needed" to preserve security and stability, adding that "The military institution's actions stem from its keenness on higher national interests and civil peace." He urged Lebanese citizens to "realize the fragility of the current phase Lebanon is going through and ignore the calls for strife and division." Earlier Friday, Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji said that the army "will not tolerate attempts to undermine the security and stability of Lebanese." On Friday, the army, presidential guards and security forces conducted a search operation in the Jamhour district of Mount Lebanon, where a strong blast was heard overnight that reverberated across several districts and could have been caused by a rocket launch. The army said in a statement that a patrol team found on Friday afternoon in Mar Elias woods "a platform equipped with a Grad 122mm rocket set for launching, in addition to a different platform apparently used for last night's missile launching."