October 11, 2026
The Army Commander, General Rudolph Heikal, confirmed that the bond between the military institution and citizens “is deep-rooted and has never been weak,” stressing that the military units will continue their missions on the borders and in the interior, and calling on the people to closely cooperate with the security services and report any suspicious movements.
The Army Commander’s statements came during his sponsorship and attendance, accompanied by his wife, of the activities of the “Second Army Race,” which began this morning in the capital, Beirut, for distances of 10 kilometers and 5 kilometers, and witnessed a wide participation of about 3,500 runners.
The official and sports event was attended by the Minister of Youth and Sports, Noura Bayrakdarian, the Governor of Beirut, Judge Marwan Abboud, the President of the Lebanese Athletics Federation, Roland Saadeh, and the President of the Beirut Marathon Association, May Khalil, in addition to a crowd of official and legal figures.
In his speech on the occasion, General Heikal explained that the relationship with civilians “is very old and deeply rooted, and the army derives its strength from them and is present near every home in various regions and at the borders.” He stressed that the military institution continues to firmly carry out its tasks in various circumstances and stages, whether on the border or at home, especially in combating terrorism, arms and drug trade, and preventing smuggling operations.
The Army Commander stressed the importance of security partnership with society, calling on citizens to be vigilant and assist the military forces as they are “the source of security for the army,” and to quickly inform the relevant agencies of any suspicious matter, stressing at the same time that the army has “a high degree of security awareness in order to cross Lebanon to safety.”
It is noteworthy that the race witnessed a diverse participation that included members of the army and security services, and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), in addition to runners representing various sports clubs and associations affiliated with the Lebanese Athletics Federation, as well as students from schools and universities, under the direct supervision of the Higher Center for Military Sports.
At the conclusion of the event, the Army Commander distributed prizes to the first-place winners, congratulating all participants for their attendance and interaction with the event.
