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Jabhat Al-Nusra Reportedly In Lebanon

Jean Aziz reports on recent intelligence that suggests the armed Islamist group Jabhat al-Nasra maintains a presence in Lebanon, while politicians downplay these claims.
Fighters from Islamist Syrian rebel group Jabhat al-Nusra take their positions on the front line during a clash with Syrian forces loyal to President Bashar al Assad in Aleppo December 24, 2012. Syria special envoy Lakhdar Brahimi discussed solving the country's conflict with President Bashar al-Assad on Monday, but the opposition expressed deepening frustration with the mission following what it called the latest massacre of civilians. REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah (SYRIA - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS)

Senior Lebanese security officials have confirmed that there has been a noticeable increase in jihadist elements associated with al-Qaeda within Lebanon. This increase is naturally linked to armed elements in Syria and the stated and covert positions taken by some Lebanese political forces towards the conflict in Damascus. However, the same security apparatus has revealed in an exclusive interview that their investigations have determined that the most recent statement made by Jabhat al-Nusra was authored in north Lebanon. The email address responsible for posting the statement on the internet was traced to Tripoli, the capital of the North Governorate and close to the Syrian border.

Jabhat al-Nusra is the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda in Iraq. Washington recently classified it as a terrorist organization, triggering negative reactions among armed forces of the Syrian opposition. It is noteworthy that this discovery by the Lebanese security apparatus is the first indication of the possibility that the organization’s leadership is moving into northern Lebanon, after having had a lingering presence in the land of the cedars for many years.

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