The Higher Defense Council voiced on Thursday relief over the security situation in Lebanon, as it convened for an emergency meeting at the Baabda Palace.

The Higher Defense Council voiced on Thursday relief over the security situation in Lebanon, as it convened for an emergency meeting at the Baabda Palace.

The meeting tackled the issues of the Lebanese-Syrian border and the influx of refugees and gunmen from Syria.

The council “was briefed by the heads of the security agencies about the results of the security missions performed in several Lebanese regions and the border areas, expressing relief over the general security situation,” council spokesman Maj. Gen. Adnan Merheb announced after the meeting.

The meeting was called by President Michel Suleiman on Wednesday.

It also came after Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour voiced rejection of a call by U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Maura Connelly for the Lebanese authorities to provide protection for the members of the so-called Free Syrian Army who flee to Lebanon.