Lebanese Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji said Monday that his forces will not allow turning Lebanon into a battleground for the Syrian crisis or setting up a buffer zone for Syrian rebels in Lebanon, the National News Agency reported.

"No matter where the situation in Syria leads to, the army will be in utmost readiness to play its role and assume its national responsibilities in accordance with the decisions of the political authority in limiting the repercussions of these events on Lebanon, protecting the residents of border regions and preventing strife," Qahwaji said on the occasion of the 67th anniversary of the army's founding.

He said the army would stand in the way of any plans aimed to establish a "buffer zone" for Syrian rebels on Lebanese soil.

Qahwaji stressed that the Lebanese army is more "cohesive" and rejected "those who believe that the (military) institution is facing the challenge of preserving its unity under any circumstance."

"They don't know that the army is a single entity and all soldiers are loyal only to the nation," he said.

The army chief also expressed confidence in his forces' ability to guarantee the stability of the country.