On 19 / 8 / 2017, the Armed Forces Commander General Joseph Aoun General Joseph Aoun declared the beginning of Operation “Dawn of the Outskirts” against the terrorist organization “ISIS” in the outskirts of Ras Baalbek and el-Qaa. On the same day, His Excellency the President of the Republic General Michel Aoun visited the operations room in the Army Command where he was received by the Armed Forces Commander in the presence of the Army Chief of Staff Major General P.S.C Hatem Mallak and senior army officers. The operation ended on 27 / 8 / 2017 and the Army resorted in the battle to a wide range of weapons such as the artillery, the air force, rockets, and machine guns. The operation resulted in the decisive victory over the terrorists and the liberation of the outskirts of Ras Baalbek and el-Qaa from terrorist presence.