The Lebanese army on Friday denied an Arab weekly's report alleging that Syrian officers were running Lebanon's security services, and announced plans to file a suit, said reports.
The army issued a statement accusing the Paris-based Al Watan Al Arabi of "producing articles hostile to Syria, Lebanon and Arabs in order to serve the interests of the Israeli enemy," reported the Daily Star on Saturday.
"The army leadership has decided to submit the case to the general prosecutor of the military tribunal for him to launch a procedure against the publication, which spreads subversive rumors," the statement said.
In its August 17 edition, Al Watan Al Arabi said Syrian officers were running "sensitive Lebanese security services" and that 5,000 Syrians were "wearing the Lebanese army uniform."
The Paris-based magazine also suggested that a “highly controversial secret” report had uncovered a deal between Beirut and Damascus which paved the way for Lebanon to be annexed.
The article further made claims of friction in the army, and suggested that Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri had considered early retirement because of continuous interference by Syria, said the paper.
A similar article was published on the website of the United States Committee for a Free Lebanon.
Chief Beirut Public Prosecutor Joseph Maamari has pressed charges against Walid Abu Dahr, the owner of Al Watan Al Arabi, and Said Qaissi, the author of the article, for disgracing the reputation of the Lebanese and Syrian armies.
The edition has been banned in Lebanon on the orders of authorities.
Two years ago, allegations were made in the Arab press that Al Watan Al Arabi, along with several other foreign publications, was being regularly fed disinformation by a department of Israel's military intelligence as part of its psychological warfare program.
Syria wields great influence in Lebanon, where it still has some 20,000 soldiers stationed.
Hundreds of opponents of the Syrian presence, many of them Christian activists, were rounded up and prosecuted this month by Beirut authorities – Albawaba.com
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