Hajjar announces 'increased security presence' in all regions

BEIRUT — Interior Minister Ahmad Hajjar said Tuesday that municipalities have an “essential role” in ensuring the security of Lebanese citizens, after an Israeli strike on an apartment in Ain Saade, in the Metn district, reignited debate over renting homes to people displaced by Israeli attacks on Lebanon.

Hajjar added that security forces have increased their presence across several regions.

The strike in Ain Saade, a Christian-majority area, killed a Lebanese Forces official, his wife, and a neighbor. It raised concerns about renewed sectarian tensions.

After a meeting with President Joseph Aoun, Hajjar said he was “working to ensure an increased security presence in the regions.” He added that Aoun had “given directives to reassure the population and protect citizens,” stressing that “the Lebanese have no refuge other than the state.”

Hajjar also underscored the “essential role” of municipalities in coordinating with security services and the army to protect residents. Many municipalities have begun requesting rental contracts and collecting information on new tenants as part of tightened measures.

Following the Ain Saade strike, citizens and local officials called for stronger security measures nationwide. Kataeb MP Elias Hankash called for a state of emergency to be declared.

On the closure of the Masnaa border crossing — after Israeli threats of strikes Saturday night that did not materialize — Hajjar said he hoped it would “reopen soon.”

Israel had attacked the crossing, one of the main routes between Lebanon and Syria in the Bekaa, several times in 2024.

Hajjar also addressed the situation of villages in southern Lebanon that remain inhabited but cut off from the rest of the country and exposed to ongoing fighting between Hezbollah and the Israeli army.

“The president cares about these villages, whether they are Christian or not,” he said. “Security forces stand with those who are holding out,” he added, even as the Lebanese Army withdrew some troops from those areas last week.