Lebanese Army: Our Personnel's Loyalty is Only to the Military Institution

SadaNews - The leadership of the Lebanese Army confirmed on Friday that its military personnel's loyalty is to the "military institution only," in response to U.S. sanctions that included one of its officers accused of leaking important intelligence information to "Hezbollah" during the ongoing conflict with Israel, marking the first U.S. measure of its kind against Lebanese military personnel, according to the "French Press Agency".

The Army leadership, in its first official Lebanese comment, stated that "the leadership confirms that all military institution officers and personnel carry out their national missions with full professionalism, responsibility, and discipline, in accordance with the decisions and directions issued by the Army leadership."

It emphasized in its statement that "the loyalty of the military personnel is to the military institution and the nation only, and that they are committed to executing their national duties away from any other considerations or pressures."

According to the statement, "the Army leadership was not notified through the established communication channels" by the U.S. side regarding the sanctions before their announcement.

Washington announced late Thursday the imposition of sanctions on nine individuals, including the Iranian ambassador in Beirut, members of the "Hezbollah" group, and two Lebanese officers, whom it said are connected to the party supported by Tehran, and who participated in "obstructing the peace process in Lebanon."

The two officers are Major General Khattar Nassereddine, head of the National Security Department at the General Directorate of General Security, and Colonel Samer Hamada, head of the Southern Suburb branch (a Hezbollah stronghold) in the Army's Intelligence Directorate, who are accused of "sharing important intelligence information with (Hezbollah) during the ongoing conflict."

"Hezbollah" condemned the U.S. sanctions on Thursday, considering them an "American attempt to intimidate the free Lebanese people in order to bolster the Zionist aggression against our country." It stated that including officers in the sanctions is an "open attempt to intimidate our official security institutions and subject the state to the terms of American tutelage."