Caretaker Mohamad Fahmi said on Tuesday that the security situation in the country is stable, stressing complete readiness of the Lebanese security apparatuses to address any instability that may occur in any Lebanese region despite the difficult circumstances they are going through.
Fahmi’s comments were made during his visit to Lebanon's Grand Mufti Abdel-Latif Derian in the Dar al-Fatwa whereby he asserted that cooperation and coordination is ongoing between all military forces in order “to avoid any disturbance to the security of the country.”
Hit by the collapse of Lebanon's economy, the army has started selling rides on its helicopters to finance their maintenance, a measure of the depth of the financial troubles facing the country.
Lebanon is suffering from what the World Bank has described as one of deepest depressions in modern history. The currency has lost more than 90% of its value in less than two years and more than half the population has sunk into poverty.
Army commander General Joseph Aoun warned last month that the crisis, caused by decades of corruption and waste in government, would lead to the collapse of all state institutions including the army, noting that the value of a soldier's monthly salary was now $90.
On another note, the minister noted that “he is under the rule of the law”, adding that any violation to the law does not serve justice.
He also voiced readiness to cooperate with the families of the blast’s victims “within the stipulations of the laws in force in the state of institutions which respects and apply the law that preserves the rights of all Lebanese."
Last week, Fahmi denied a request by the judge probing the Beirut port explosion to question a top security official.
Nearly a year after the Aug. 4 explosion, which killed more than 200 people, wounded thousands and devastated swathes of the capital, many Lebanese are furious that no senior officials have been held to account.
The blast was caused by a massive quantity of explosive chemicals that had been stored unsafely at the port for years.
Fahmi concluded by voicing hopes that a new government would be formed as soon as possible in order to address the political, economic and living situation.
Yesterday, the European Union said it wanted to agree by the end of July the legal framework for a sanctions regime targeting Lebanese leaders, but cautioned that the measure would not be immediately implemented.
Led by France, the EU is seeking to ramp up pressure on Lebanon's squabbling politicians after 11 months of a crisis that has left Lebanon facing financial collapse, hyperinflation, electricity blackouts, and fuel and food shortages.
The move is part of broader international efforts to force a stable government capable of carrying out crucial reforms to emerge from nearly a year of political chaos and economic collapse following the blast that ravaged Beirut port.
LBCI/REUTERS