Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Thursday visited the Beirut airbase, in the presence of army chief General Joseph Aoun, to pay condolences on the martyrdom of Captain Joseph Hanna and First Lieutenant Richard Saab, who died in a helicopter crash in Hammana.

"Our visit today is to express our deep grief," said Mikati from the airbase.

"The army is a model of the Lebanese youth that has nothing to do with sectarianism," he added.

"The army represents the national fabric," he continued.

"In its presence, there is no fear for the nation," he concluded.