Lebanon’s Crisis Imposes New Tasks on Security Forces

Shoppers walk past an empty shelf at a supermarket in Beirut. (Reuters)
Shoppers walk past an empty shelf at a supermarket in Beirut. (Reuters)
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Lebanon’s Crisis Imposes New Tasks on Security Forces

Shoppers walk past an empty shelf at a supermarket in Beirut. (Reuters)
Shoppers walk past an empty shelf at a supermarket in Beirut. (Reuters)

Lebanon’s severe economic crisis has imposed an unusual security reality, as security officers are now seen organizing the purchase of foodstuffs, and others standing at the doors of supermarkets where many disputes have erupted during the past weeks over the priority to buy subsidized products.

A video widely circulated on social media on Thursday showed a man screaming in a supermarket in the coastal city of Amshit in Mount Lebanon, in protest against allowing Syrians to receive subsidized food products. The man shouted that those, who do not have the Lebanese nationality, should be prevented from entering the supermarket. His remarks led to a dispute between Lebanese and Syrian refugees in the town.

Another video leaked last week showed security officers in a food store, asking people to present their ID cards in order to buy subsidized rice.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, MP Wehbi Qatisha said that the scene was “certainly a negative indicator of the current situation in Lebanon, due to poor management of crises, especially economic ones.”

“Instead of confronting major security risks, security officers are now dealing with disputes among citizens over oil or milk,” he said.

Other missions were granted to the security bodies in light of the deteriorating economic and social crisis.

The Directorate General of State Security was tasked with supervising the distribution of diesel fuel to stations in order to prevent monopoly or smuggling, while the Lebanese army was assigned the task of distributing financial aid, which the government granted to poor families, in addition to dispensing compensation to those affected by the Beirut port explosion.

According to a security source, such intervention is needed because the army and security bodies have the responsibility to safeguard civil peace and stability.



Israeli Strikes Cause Damage to Bridges in Syria’s Homs Province, State Media Says

A man rides a motorbike past a damaged building in Homs, Syria November 7, 2024. (Reuters)
A man rides a motorbike past a damaged building in Homs, Syria November 7, 2024. (Reuters)
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Israeli Strikes Cause Damage to Bridges in Syria’s Homs Province, State Media Says

A man rides a motorbike past a damaged building in Homs, Syria November 7, 2024. (Reuters)
A man rides a motorbike past a damaged building in Homs, Syria November 7, 2024. (Reuters)

Syrian state media reported damage to several bridges in the Qusayr countryside of Homs province, attributing it to an Israeli attack on Monday.

Earlier, blasts were heard in and around Qusayr, a town in the southern Homs province, and authorities had said they were investigating the cause.

The Israeli military earlier on Monday confirmed a series of strikes targeting what they said were Iranian weapons smuggling routes through Syria to Hezbollah in Lebanon, adding that the operations disrupted efforts to transfer arms via Syrian territory.