Arsal and its barren environs have for more than three years experienced a shaky and unstable security situation, having attracted militants affiliated with extremist and terrorist groups like the Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra. These days, stability seems to be making a comeback in Arsal, where the Lebanese army has imposed full control. A number of events and dynamics have rendered the Islamic militants in this eastern border region incapable of waging major military operations and therefore no longer a security threat.

The militants’ human and logistical capabilities have been exhausted by the serious blows their organizations have been dealt in Syria by the various forces they are fighting there, including the Syrian army, the Russian military, Hezbollah and an international coalition.

A Lebanese security speaking to Al-Monitor on the condition of anonymity said that Lebanese authorities have documented information that a significant number of the militants who had been positioned in and around Arsal have moved to Syria to fight on several fronts there. The militant groups are also fighting among themselves in the Arsal area. Several clashes among militants affiliated with different groups had earlier led to battles of attrition, further weakening their capabilities in the region.

The growing capabilities of the Lebanese security forces are another factor serving to weaken the militants. The security official confirmed this, attributing it primarily to assistance from the United States, which has included arms and military equipment and gear. “This has helped the Lebanese army to deal several heavy blows to the militants,” said the official.