Lebanese lawmaker worried about country's future

BEIRUT, Lebanon, Sept. 30 (UPI) -- Any Lebanese nationals fighting in neighboring Syria should return home for the sake of national security, a Lebanese lawmaker said.

Lebanon's national security is threatened by the 2 1/2-year-long civil war in Syria. A series of bombings in Lebanon this year were seen as retribution for Hezbollah's role in fighting alongside pro-government forces in Syria.

Alain Aoun, a member of the Lebanese Parliament, said any Lebanese nationals fighting in Syria should return home.

"We are worried about the future of Lebanon," he was quoted by the official National News Agency as saying.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said last week from the sidelines of the annual debate at the U.N. General Assembly that Lebanon is facing a direct challenge to its national security because of Hezbollah's actions in Syria.

The Daily Star newspaper in Beirut, Lebanon, reported Hezbollah handed over two of its checkpoints in the eastern Lebanese city of Baalbek to the Lebanese military Monday. Weekend clashes there between Hezbollah and Sunni rivals left four people dead.

Lebanon broke free of Syrian dominance with its Cedar Revolution in 2005.