UN warns Lebanon against getting sucked into Syrian war

The UN Security Council has backed Lebanon's military action against extremist groups but urged it to stay out of the conflict in neighbouring Syria, as Beirut vowed no leniency for the ‘terrorist killers’. Twenty-two Lebanese soldiers were missing, possibly taken hostage, the army announced, and a military source said 16 others had been killed since the clashes with jihadists erupted on Saturday near the Syrian border. The United Nations Security Council on Monday called on Lebanese politicians to ‘preserve national unity’ and ‘refrain from any involvement in the Syrian crises. The 15-member Council ‘expressed support for the Lebanese Armed Forces and the Internal Security Forces in their fight against terrorism’. Analysts said the violence could be contained in the short-term, but warned an aggressive military response could stoke tensions and worsen the clashes, which have also killed three civilians, according to AFP.