Interior Minister
Marwan Charbel warned on Saturday that the security situation in Sidon is “very
critical”, adding that what is happening is “an introduction to what happened
in 1975 with the assassination of leader Maarouf Saad”.
“We were about to
repeat what happened in 1975 due to many factors that should have been tackled
before evolving”, he said following a meeting he headed for the Sub Security Council
in Sidon.
Charbel stressed that he
is addressing the situation “wisely and cautiously” to prevent any possible
explosion, adding that security apparatuses need a political cover that would help
them chase security violators.
Charbel said that he will not allow any revengeful
act against the partisans of Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir, warning that any security
deterioration in Sidon will have an impact on all of Lebanon. “Therefore, only
dialogue can ease sectarian and instinctive tensions”, he said.
Charbel urged the
government to hurry and tackle anything that could undermine the country’s
stability, considering that, without the ongoing political divide and political
cover, “no one would have dared to cut off roads.”