The Lebanese Army arrested 25 people in raids Sunday in northeast Lebanon villages, hours after it had announced the detention of 33 others overnight as part of the ongoing security plan.
The Army released a statement Sunday afternoon announcing that its troops had arrested 23 Syrian nationals and two Lebanese in raids on neighborhoods in Brital and al-Kneiseh.
The statement said the Army also discovered a drug factory and confiscated an unidentified quantities of drugs during the Sunday raids.
Four stolen automobiles and a number of undocumented motorcycles were also confiscated, in addition to ammunition and light weapons, the statement added.
The military had announced just before midnight that 33 people were arrested during Saturday’s raids.
The late night statement said nine automobiles and 26 motorcycles were confiscated due to lack of legal papers, in addition to an unidentified quantity of “drugs, military equipment, light weapons and ammunition.”
Sunday is the fourth day of raids in a joint Army, Internal Security Forces and General Security plan to restore the rule of law in the largely abandoned eastern area.
A security source told The Daily Star that Saturday night's raids were mostly concentrated in Maqneh, just north of Baalbek, after targeting the towns of Brital, Hor Taala, Doris and al-Hammoudieh a day earlier.
ISF also announced that it had confiscated two stolen cars and arrested four suspects over crimes related to theft, money forgery and weapons trade.
Meanwhile, the Lebanese Army had raided another drug factory also Saturday in al-Hammoudieh, seizing a quantity of drugs and manufacturing equipment, a statement said.
128 suspects in total have been apprehended since the launching of the security operation Thursday.
