The Lebanese army said Monday that 162 suspected terrorists had been arrested since the start of the military operation in the northern parts of the country.
All detainees have been referred to the competent judicial authorities for interrogation, according to a military statement.
The army beefed up its presence and launched manhunts for gunmen in Tripoli and Akar cities in the wake of three days of fierce fighting.
In the coastal city of Sidon, the army stormed the home of a wanted Palestinian man who was planning for terrorist attacks against the military forces; a quantity of munitions and explosives were found.
Meanwhile, Ahmad Miqati, a leading member of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) who was arrested in Sir Ed-Danie town last week, confessed that the ISIL was planning for attacks against the army positions in Tripoli as a prelude to controlling the northern parts of Lebanon.
The plans were meant to connect the Syrian border region of Al-Qalamoun, controlled by the opposition forces, to the Lebanese Mediterranean coastline, local media reported.