A top Lebanese security official said Thursday (March 9th) that raids on financial offices suspected of sending huge sums to the "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" (ISIL) will reinforce international confidence in Lebanon.
In an interview with al-Joumhouria daily, General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim said the Wednesday raids on currency exchange offices and money transfer companies prove Lebanon's persistence in confronting terrorism.
"What we have done is part of our usual tasks which we have insisted on carrying out no matter what the obstacles are," he told the newspaper.
Apprehending the network shows Lebanon's commitment to following up on this issue, he said, and "proves our engagement in confronting terrorism and drying out its sources as part of the global fight against this scourge".
"We believe this step is an advanced one in the long path so as to enhance international confidence in our actions and in the fight against the financing of terrorism," he added.
In a statement issued late Wednesday, the General Security agency confirmed it had carried out raids across the country and detained "people of Syrian nationality", without giving figures.
It said those detained had admitted "belonging to a terrorist network" and to the transfer of money to "terrorist groups".
