Beirut (AFP) – The Lebanese army
said Thursday it had foiled attacks planned by the Islamic State
jihadist group on a tourist site and a crowded area, arresting five
“terrorists”.

“Military
intelligence services have foiled two terrorist operations prepared by
Daesh that would have targeted an important tourism site and a crowded
area,” the army said in a statement, using an Arabic name for IS. It
was not clear when the arrests took place, but the military official
said the attacks were to have been carried out “10 days ago”.

They
would have targeted “the Casino du Liban as well as a crowded area,
like a shopping centre, the southern suburbs of Beirut or indeed the
(downtown) neighbourhoods of Hamra or Ashrafiyeh”, the official said.

He
said “suicide bombers and armed men” were to have carried out the
attacks, and added that investigations would follow on other possible
cells and potential targets.

The five arrested included the alleged mastermind of the attacks, the army said.

“They admitted having previously carried out terrorist attacks against the army,” it said.

Lebanon
has been repeatedly shaken by attacks linked with the war in
neighbouring Syria, where Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah is fighting
in support of President Bashar al-Assad.

On Monday, five people
were killed when four suicide bombers attacked a predominantly Christian
village near the border with Syria.

There
was no immediate claim of responsibility for Monday’s attacks but they
bore the hallmarks of jihadist organisations like IS or Al-Qaeda.