Lebanese Interior Minister: Security Situation Is Stable, Will Remain So

Lebanon’s caretaker Interior Minister Bassam al-Mawlawi. (AP)
Lebanon’s caretaker Interior Minister Bassam al-Mawlawi. (AP)
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Lebanese Interior Minister: Security Situation Is Stable, Will Remain So

Lebanon’s caretaker Interior Minister Bassam al-Mawlawi. (AP)
Lebanon’s caretaker Interior Minister Bassam al-Mawlawi. (AP)

Lebanon’s caretaker Interior Minister Bassam al-Mawlawi announced on Thursday that the security situation in the country was “still stable”, revealing that his ministry has kicked off preparations to hold municipal elections in May.

The minister met with parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, stressing that the security forces will continue to perform their duties around the clock to ensure the stability of the country.

He said he briefed Berri on the preparations to hold the elections within their constitutional and legal deadlines.

The ministry had announced the electoral lists on Wednesday.

Mawlawi acknowledged some problems encountered by the municipalities. He vowed to Berri that he will take the necessary measures to facilitate pending municipal affairs in spite of the various crises Lebanon is experiencing.

The minister later met with Grand Mufti Sheikh Abul Latif Derian, reiterating that the security situation was stable and underscoring preparations to hold the polls in May.

The Interior Ministry is committed to the law and its application, stated Mawlawi.

“All Lebanese people have the right to have municipal councils that serve them and work on addressing social affairs,” he remarked.

Moreover, he stressed that the security forces have not wavered in carrying out their duties in spite of the crippling economic crisis that has dramatically impacted the value of their salaries.

He highlighted the crimes and drug smuggling attempts that have been thwarted by the Internal Security Forces and its intelligence bureau.



Medical Charity Condemns Israel's Use of Hunger as 'Weapon of War' in Gaza

A Palestinian boy at a garbage dump in central Gaza City, 12 May 2025. EPA/MOHAMMED SABER
A Palestinian boy at a garbage dump in central Gaza City, 12 May 2025. EPA/MOHAMMED SABER
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Medical Charity Condemns Israel's Use of Hunger as 'Weapon of War' in Gaza

A Palestinian boy at a garbage dump in central Gaza City, 12 May 2025. EPA/MOHAMMED SABER
A Palestinian boy at a garbage dump in central Gaza City, 12 May 2025. EPA/MOHAMMED SABER

A months-long Israeli blockade is worsening acute malnutrition in the Gaza Strip, medical charity Medecins du Monde warned on Tuesday, accusing Israel of using hunger as "a weapon of war".

Israel halted all aid from entering the war-ravaged Palestinian territory on March 2, days before resuming its offensive triggered by Hamas's October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel.

The United Nations and aid agencies have repeatedly warned of a growing humanitarian catastrophe for the roughly 2.4 million people in Gaza, amid dwindling supplies of everything from fuel and medicine to food and clean water.

Aid reaches Gaza mainly through Israeli-controlled entry points, though the flow has fluctuated -- even before the March shutdown.

After more than a year and a half of war, acute malnutrition in Gaza has "reached levels comparable to those seen in countries facing prolonged humanitarian crises spanning several decades," AFP quoted Medecins du Monde as saying.

MDM said data from six health centers it runs in the Palestinian territory highlighted "the human responsibility for hunger in Gaza".

"Acute malnutrition rates among pregnant and breastfeeding women and children depend on the Israeli authorities' decisions to allow or block humanitarian aid," it said.

The medical charity said the peaks in acute malnutrition it observed in 2024 "coincided with the sharpest decline in the monthly number of trucks delivering aid to Gaza".

MDM said it saw a peak in child acute malnutrition of 17 percent in November, during a significant reduction of humanitarian aid.

Aid access is limited to Israeli-controlled crossings, with the Rafah crossing on the border with Egypt closed since the Israeli army took control of the city in spring 2024.

Israeli authorities have closed the crossing points since March 2, saying they want to force Hamas to release hostages.

The security cabinet in early May approved the "possibility of humanitarian distribution, if necessary" in Gaza, but insisted there was "currently enough food".

The UN's World Food Program in late April said it had depleted all its food stocks in the territory.

"We are not witnessing a humanitarian crisis but a crisis of humanity and moral bankruptcy with the use of hunger as a weapon of war," said Jean-Francois Corty, president of MDM.

"The failure of other countries with the power to pressure the Israeli authorities to lift this deadly siege is unacceptable and could be seen as complicity under international law," he added.

In April, one in five pregnant or breastfeeding women and nearly one in four children MDM observed were suffering or were at high risk of acute malnutrition, the charity said.

The MDM report also detailed the domino effect of dwindling food reserves, as well as the destruction of agricultural facilities and sanitation systems, on the malnutrition crisis.

The organization said it could not officially declare famine underway due to a lack of comprehensive data covering the entire Palestinian territory.

The UN- and NGO-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification warned Monday that Gaza was at "critical risk of famine", with 22 percent of the population facing an imminent humanitarian "catastrophe".