BEKAA, Lebanon: Lebanese soldiers carried out Tuesday a series of raids in the Bekaa town of Brital and arrested three wanted individuals, security sources said, in what appears to be the launch of the military’s planned crackdown in the area.

The raids, launched in the early hours of the morning, targeted eight houses belonging to wanted suspects in the Bekaa Valley, said the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

As part of the operation, the Army confiscated seven cars from a garage belonging to Suhail Haydar Mazloum who was also arrested. The vehicles are thought to be stolen property.

The Army also arrested two wanted men from the Tlais family in Brital.

The move by the military comes a day after Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri met with a delegation of the Bekaa clans to prepare them for the long-awaited security crackdown by authorities in the area.

According to the plan, the army will target criminals and outlaws and arrest more than 30,000 with arrest warrants.