Pro-army Lebanese storm Al-Jazeera's office in Beirut

Dozens of supporters of the Free Patriotic Movement in Lebanon, led by General Michel Aoun, protested inside Al-Jazeera‘s office in Beirut, calling on presenter Faisal Al-Qassem to apologise for making anti-army remarks, Anadolu news agency reported.

According to AFP news agency, the anger erupted after Al-Qassem posted photographs on Twitter “showing top Lebanese singers performing in praise of the army, alongside a picture of rows of Syrian men rounded up in a raid on Thursday in the restive border town of Arsal.”

The pictures carried the headline: “The successes of the Lebanese army.” The army’s poor treatment of the Syrian refugees has caused great controversy in Lebanon.

This comes after 30 Lebanese soldiers were captured during fighting in Arsal. Al-Nusra Front in Syria is currently holding them and has executed at least three of the soldiers so far.

According to Lebanon’s state news agency, at one point the Lebanese protesting Al-Jazeera stormed the office and “chanted pro-army slogans” inside the building, further raising tensions.

Anadolu reported a Lebanese military source saying that the army carried out another raid on Saturday in one of the Syrian refugee camps in the neighbourhood of Arsal.

The source said that the campaign had now ended, but added that three gunmen using a motorcycle attempted to burn a camp adjacent to the one they were operating in.

Regarding the alleged arrest of 450 Syrian refugees, Anadolu’s source refused to comment, noting that the army did say anything about this issue and the number is not “official or precise”.

Lebanon is currently home to more than one million Syrian refugees comprising 20-25 per cent of the country’s total population, increasing tensions in an already deeply divided Lebanese society.