BEIRUT — A patrol from the Internal Security Forces (ISF) ordered the evacuation of the "Joudat al-Sheikh" building on Wednesday evening, located in the popular neighborhood of Bab al-Tebbaneh in Tripoli, in northern Lebanon, after the building was reported to be at risk of collapsing.

Outgoing Minister of Interior and Municipalities Bassam Maowlawi, issued the immediate evacuation order to the governor of Tripoli, Ramzi Nahra, and informed the city’s municipality to implement it.

ISF officers notified the approximately fifty residents of the building of the decision, emphasizing that it was no longer habitable due to the deterioration of its structure. The residents were temporarily relocated to the Quality Inn Hotel in Tripoli while awaiting the provision of alternative housing as soon as possible.

Another building in the same neighborhood was evacuated for the same reasons on Jan. 12, after cracks appeared in the structure of the building. The building's residents, having noticed the warning signs, had called on local authorities to take urgent measures to address the situation and ensure the residents' safety. Several buildings have collapsed in Lebanon over the last year, killing multiple people. The collapses often occur during the winter season, when heavy rains cause flooding and leak into buildings' foundations.

Reporting contributed by L'Orient Today's correspondent in the North, Michel Hallak.