Lebanon’s Internal Security Forces (ISF) believes a couple of extremist Islamist groups are preparing for multiple attacks within Lebanon, with the main threat coming from ISIS. A military court charged 28 people with membership of ISIS on July 7. Seven others are already in custody. The charges leveled against the group include “planning to carry out suicide bombings by using explosive belts and preparing explosive-rigged vehicles.”

Attacks have been in the planning since as early as April 8.

“Six members of ISIS – five Saudis and one Iraqi – were currently operating in the northern Bekaa Valley village of Arsal on the border with Syria and were looking to access the Palestinian refugee camp of Ain al-Hilweh in south Lebanon using forged IDs.”

Christians are already under threat from ISIS.

“The group said it had designated a special group of jihadists to ‘cleanse the Muslim Bekaa Emirate in particular, and Lebanon in general, from churches.’ It also urged Sunnis to keep their distances from churches, vowing to destroy all Christian symbols in the region.”

ISIS subsequently announced Shiites will also be targeted.

“Get ready for hundreds of martyrs who love the blood of Rafida (derogatory name for Shiites)… Lebanon has been hit by a wave of attacks over the past year that left scores of people dead.”

Both ISIS and its Islamist rival al-Qaeda say they have carried out attacks during 2014.

“The Daily Star reported that ISIS and other Al-Qaeda-linked groups have already claimed responsibility for the deadly car bombings and suicide attacks that targeted areas in Beirut’s southern suburbs earlier this year, as well as the Bekaa Valley region where Hezbollah enjoys wide support in response to the party’s military intervention in Syria.”

[Photo: ISIS video screenshot]