BEIRUT: Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri has indirectly accused Marada movement head MP Suleiman Franjieh of trying to create discord between the Lebanese and their army over claims that Al-Qaeda is operating in Lebanon.

“It is not helpful to try and transform the issue as problem between the people and the army. The problem is in the inaccurate announcements that were denied by ministers in the same government,” Hariri said in a Tweet in Arabic Monday.

Franjieh said Monday that Ghosn, a member of the Marada Movement, was facing a violent campaign, adding that the attacks were in fact targeting the Lebanese Army.

Franjieh also upheld Monday Ghosn’s claims that Al-Qaeda was present in Lebanon and dismissed denials by Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Interior Minister Marwan Charbel.

Last month, Ghosn said on two occasions that Al-Qaeda members were entering Lebanon under the guise of Syrian opposition activists and rejected March 14 coalition criticism that his remarks served Damascus.