BEIRUT: Marada movement leader Suleiman Franjieh defended Monday Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn’s claims that Al-Qaeda was present in Lebanon, saying there was a campaign against Ghosn and its ultimate target the Lebanese Army.

“It is true that Al-Qaeda is present in Lebanon and it is true that there is terrorism in Lebanon,” Franjieh said at a news conference in Bneshaai, Zghorta, north Lebanon.

Last month, Ghosn made repeated claims that members of Al-Qaeda were entering Lebanon under the guise that they were Syrian dissidents.

Members from the opposition and Lebanese ministers, including Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Interior Minister Marwan Charbel, have rejected or cast doubts on the claims.

Franjieh said Ghosn, a member of the Marada movement, was facing a violent campaign.

“When I was interior minister I came under the most violent campaigns. I was being accused of [former Prime Minister Rafik] Hariri's killing,” Franjieh said, adding: “Today, the Lebanese defense minister is coming under the same campaign.”

The Marada movement leader said the attacks on Ghosn were in fact aimed at the Lebanese Army.

“The atmosphere based on reports and information is not meant to target the defense minister [per se] but it is a campaign against the Lebanese Army through the defense minister,” Franjieh said.

The March 8 coalition politician also questioned the manner the government was responding to Ghosn’s allegations.

“He [Ghosn] is sworn to confidentiality but I am not. There is slackness by the Lebanese state on this matter,” Franjieh said.

Franjieh said that both President Michel Sleiman and Mikati had reports of Al-Qaeda activity in Lebanon.

“Sleiman is working for the country’s best interest and I hope he will solve the problem behind the scenes and not through the media,” Franjieh said.

During the news conference, Franjieh said Al-Qaeda was made up of several terrorist groups, repeating Ghosn’s claims that “terrorists” were entering Lebanon from across the Syrian border under the cover of Syrian refugees.

“Sleiman and Mikati realize that Lebanon is exposed to all terrorist sides,” Franjieh stated.

“It is not my duty to deal with the Al-Qaeda problem. The government is responsible for that,” he said, adding that the reason for defending Ghosn was because he was a Marada member.

Franjieh, a staunch supporter of Syrian President Bashar Assad, slammed the head of the March 14 coalition, former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, for considering setting up a buffer zone on the border with Lebanon’s neighbor, saying such a move was aimed as a “strike” against Syria.

“We also have information that the Americans want a buffer zone in Lebanon against Syria. This is not in Lebanon’s best interest,” he added.

Franjieh said 70 percent of the Syrian people supported Assad.

"We are with this Syrian regime [but] we will not do anything at the expense of Lebanon," Franjieh said.