A damaged van on a street in Saida in southern Lebanon, after a car drove into other vehicles on Sept. 24, 2022. (Credit: Photo sent by Mountasser Abdallah)
BEIRUT — The Security Council for South Lebanon held an exceptional meeting Monday following a series of unrelated security incidents in Saida last week and over the weekend. The council decided to increase military patrols in the area, it announced in a statement.
The meeting was attended by Saida Public Prosecutor Rahif Ramadan, the heads of local security forces and others.
The council announced it decided to increase military patrols in the area, improve coordination between various security forces, and toughen punishments for law violations.
Many of the individuals involved in the latest clashes were arrested, the statement said. It also said the council took "secretive measures" and will work on arresting the rest of those involved.
On Friday, a man died in Saida after being stabbed during an argument and several people were injured in a separate incident. On Saturday, a car crashed in front of the Hariri mosque and injured pedestrians. On Monday morning, customers and security staff at a Blom Bank branch clashed as the banks reopened following a weeklong closure due to a series of holdups this month.
Reporting contibuted by Muntasser Abdallah.