Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) Commander General Joseph Aoun made a personal visit to Tripoli on Friday in a statement of support to its residents who have been protesting their dire living conditions over the past week.
“To our people in the ancient Fayhaa, your pain is our pain. The stability of the city is a responsibility on all of us,” he said from Lebanon’s second-largest city and one of the oldest in the country.
“No one is allowed to harm Tripoli’s security. There will be no tolerance for those who tamper with stability, whoever they are,” he declared in a clear warning to any political factions trying to stir chaos for personal benefit.
Stepping in to support the residents of Tripoli despite the inevitable tensions between protesters and soldiers doing their job, the Lebanese Army has also donated diesel for power generators to impoverished parts of the city that have been suffering severe electricity cuts.
From the people and for the people, the Lebanese Army has been suffering as well from the multiple crises crippling Lebanon, compelling General Aoun to recently seek France and the international community for support to save the army.
Earlier in March, he openly spoke about the suffering of soldiers and his warnings of the imminent social disaster. “Soldiers are suffering and going hungry too,” he said, addressing the country’s officials in his public speech.
He called on them to wake up from their inertia and take decisions to save the country. “Where are we going? What do you intend to do?”
“We have warned more than once about the danger of the situation and the possibility of it exploding,” a statement he made back then and which has materialized this week with Tripoli revolting.
