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Lebanon: Rise in Virus Cases Sparks Lockdown Discussions

People wear face masks on the streets of Beirut, Lebanon. AFP file photo
People wear face masks on the streets of Beirut, Lebanon. AFP file photo
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Lebanon: Rise in Virus Cases Sparks Lockdown Discussions

People wear face masks on the streets of Beirut, Lebanon. AFP file photo
People wear face masks on the streets of Beirut, Lebanon. AFP file photo

An unprecedented rise in the number of coronavirus cases in Lebanon has stoked fears that hospitals will be overwhelmed.

“This critical situation is prompting talks about a possible return to a full lockdown as of this week,” Lebanese MP Issam Araji, who heads the parliament's public health committee, told Asharq Al-Awsat.

On Sunday, the Ministry of Public Health announced that 168 new COVID-19 cases were registered in the country, raising the total to 3,746.

Among them is "Strong Republic" MP George Okais, whose infection has stocked concerns that he could have transmitted the disease to members of parliament.

Several politicians, who have recently met the MP, including Lebanese Forces Leader Samir Geagea and Speaker Nabih Berri, carried out tests and their results came back negative.

“If numbers continue to rise in the next couple of days, we must take a decision to return to a total lockdown, except for some sectors,” Araji said.

He explained that such decision would not have a big effect on the economy because Lebanon is closing for two days this week on the occasion of Eid Al-Adha.

The deputy is particularly concerned about the inability of the health sector to cope with rising cases.

He said private hospitals are not well equipped to face a larger outbreak.

“The head of Private Hospitals Syndicate informed us that in case COVID-19 spreads across Lebanon, hospitals will be overwhelmed,” Araji said.

The outbreak would also put a strain on the public health sector, which has no more than 1,900 hospital beds, in addition to 350 beds for intensive care and 170 for patients who need ventilators.

On Sunday, several municipalities announced clusters of COVID-19 cases, urging residents to respect preventive measures.

The Lebanese Red Cross also revealed in a statement that 17 of its paramedics in Zahle have been infected, and are now observing home quarantine.

Also, the Beirut Bar Association announced the closure of its offices for four days starting on Monday after a lawyer contracted the virus.

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Arab World

Uncertain Future for the PFLP-GC in Post-Assad Syria

Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Damascus on April 18 (AP) 
Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Damascus on April 18 (AP) 
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Uncertain Future for the PFLP-GC in Post-Assad Syria

Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Damascus on April 18 (AP) 
Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Damascus on April 18 (AP) 

The brief detention of Talal Naji, Secretary-General of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command (PFLP-GC), by Syrian authorities has renewed scrutiny over the status of Palestinian factions still operating in Syria, particularly those that aligned with the former Assad regime.

Naji’s arrest and swift release come amid a major political realignment following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s government in December 2024. Once one of the most active and heavily armed Palestinian groups in Syria, the PFLP-GC now faces an uncertain future, along with other factions that were long tolerated—or even supported—under Assad’s rule.

A well-informed Palestinian source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the new Syrian administration has appointed a figure known as Abu Abdul Rahman al-Shami to oversee the file of Palestinian factions. Since assuming the role, al-Shami has convened multiple meetings with faction representatives, including regular attendees from the PFLP-GC, to discuss the fate of their fighters, weapons, property, and military infrastructure.

According to the source, al-Shami has made it clear that the new government intends to hold accountable any individuals or groups implicated in crimes against Syrian civilians during the civil war. Palestinian factions have been instructed to surrender all weapons and military equipment, and to limit their activities to humanitarian and relief work. The PFLP-GC, the source said, has largely complied.

Despite the fall of the Assad regime, Naji and much of the PFLP-GC’s second- and third-tier leadership have remained in Syria. Its offices in Damascus reportedly continue to operate, though under heightened scrutiny. Other faction leaders, however, have fled. Among them are Khaled Abdul Majid (Popular Struggle Front), Ziyad al-Saghir (Fatah–Intifada), Mohammad al-Saeed (Liwa al-Quds), and Saed Abdel Al (Free Palestine Movement). Most are believed to have sought refuge in Lebanon.

Sources confirmed that several PFLP-GC fighters have been detained in recent weeks in connection with alleged war crimes committed during their cooperation with Assad’s forces. The Syrian government has also moved to seize faction offices and military installations across the country, including properties belonging to Fatah–Intifada, the Free Palestine Movement, and the Sa’iqa Forces. Sa’iqa’s leader, Mohammad Qais, remains in Syria.

In a further blow, authorities have reportedly frozen bank accounts belonging to some Palestinian factions, both in state and private banks, although it remains unclear whether the PFLP-GC is among them.

Additionally, it is widely believed that the PFLP-GC has handed over its military training camps, which were previously spread across Damascus countryside, Daraa, Aleppo, and Suwayda. “The situation is extremely sensitive, and everyone is anxious,” one Palestinian source told Asharq Al-Awsat. “It’s likely they’ve surrendered those sites.”

The sense of unease deepened last month when Syrian authorities detained two senior Islamic Jihad officials in Damascus: Khaled Khaled, head of the group’s Syria bureau, and Abu Ali Yasser, its chief organizational officer. Both remain in custody, and no official charges have been announced.

The current atmosphere of fear and uncertainty has driven faction leaders to avoid public comment. Most now insist on anonymity when speaking to local or international media.

Before the outbreak of the Syrian uprising in March 2011, Syria hosted more than a dozen Palestinian factions. As the conflict escalated, the Assad regime encouraged the formation of new pro-regime groups, composed largely of Palestinian refugees, to fight alongside its forces.