Tripoli battle foils IS expansion
The Lebanese army's victory in Tripoli trampled the Islamic State's plan to gather all terrorist cells in Lebanon under its umbrella, establish a caliphate and gain access to the Mediterranean.
BEIRUT — The Lebanese army dealt a painful blow to the Islamic State’s (IS) plan in Lebanon through the battle it waged in Tripoli. This happened in the wake of the attack of armed groups on the army to retaliate against the arrest of Ahmad Salim Mikati in the town of Asoun, in the northern district of Dannieh, on Oct. 23.
It appears that Mikati is affiliated with IS, and that he formed cells in Lebanon to carry out terrorist acts. He allegedly also recruited soldiers after they escaped from the army, and the videos in which they declared their defection from the army were taped in his apartment.
Why is the battle that the army waged against terrorism in Tripoli important?
Mikati admitted he was seeking to occupy several villages in Dannieh to declare it a safe region for militants and to raise IS flags and pledge allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the self-proclaimed IS caliph. This would make Dannieh a refuge for militants and defected soldiers and complete the first step toward implementing the plan to connect Qalamoun to the Lebanese coast.
