BEIRUT, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese Armed Forces Commander Joseph Aoun said Monday that the army's priority today is fighting against terrorists and drug dealers, local media reported.
"Security operations today are ongoing due to the presence of dormant terrorist cells threatening to conduct terrorism operations in Lebanon," Aoun was quoted as saying by Elnashra, an online independent newspaper.
Aoun said the army plays an important role in fighting terrorism and in exchange of information with countries facing the same threats.
He noted that the U.S. has continuously supplied the Lebanese army with military equipment but the problem is that the maintenance of the equipment is very expensive.
Also, the government has reduced last year the budget of the defense ministry by 20 percent, he added.
