The German news agency DPA, citing a Lebanese security source, said security forces would likely kick off a massive offensive against Beddawi if investigation proved that those responsible for the recent bombing attacks against the Lebanese army took refuge in the shantytown with the protection of Salafi groups aligned with Fatah al-Islam extremists.
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Syrian army had no intention to return to Lebanon.
He said Syrian troop buildup along the border with Lebanon was aimed at providing the Lebanese army with backup should the military decide to put an end to Salafis in north Lebanon.
According to semi-confirmed reports obtained by the "joint security authorities" between Lebanon and Syria, a number of al-Qaida commanders are trying to move from Iraq into northern Lebanon via some Arab countries.
The source said that the probe conducted by the army command will likely lead them to believe that the executors of the Tripoli car bomb are supporters of the Salafis and are still hiding in north Lebanon.
But fingers are being pointed at Syria for using the Salafis in the north as an excuse for returning to Lebanon
The Lebanese based media quoted on Thursday French, Russian, and American officials as rejecting any form of Syrian military intervention in Lebanon following Syria's recent massive deployment of 10,000 soldiers on the border between the two countries.
Damascus has sought to explain the deployment as a means of countering smuggling, but a number of Lebanese politicians have accused Syria of wanting to send its army to Lebanon under the pretext of fighting Islamist extremists in the North.
US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Welch had told Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Mouallem that the United States totally rejected any Syrian military intervention in Lebanon.
Tags: Beddawi, Lebanon, Palestinian Refugee Camps, source: Naharnet
