Lebanon Says Anti-Western Attacks Foiled

The Lebanese government said Monday that five people had been arrested for allegedly plotting to carry out attacks on Western targets in the country, the latest in a series of blows it says it has dealt to terrorist groups.

The Interior Ministry said in a statement that the five were trained in a Palestinian refugee camp that is home to several militant Islamic groups.

They were planning attacks on targets that included a fast-food restaurant in Beirut, the capital, it said.

The statement said the five were arrested as they “moved to the phase of preparation to carry out their criminal act.”

“During interrogation, they confessed they had received training and plotted to carry out terrorist acts,” the government added.

Lebanon and Syria -- which has ultimate authority over its smaller neighbor -- face intense U.S. pressure to root out Lebanon’s Hezbollah guerrilla organization and militant Palestinian groups.

This month, Lebanon charged dozens of people in connection with alleged plots to kidnap the U.S. ambassador and attack the U.S. Embassy and other targets.