Lebanon is facing high security risks as efforts to contain a full-blown economic crisis stall and confidence in the state and its institutions wanes, caretaker Interior Minister Mohammad Fehmi said.
Mr Fehmi, a retired army general and former head of the armed forces' powerful Military Security department, said the risk of security breaches has lately increased.
He was quoting an assessment by the country's various security agencies based on domestic and foreign intelligence.
"Countries around the world are exposed to security breaches but those risks are rising in Lebanon as the system's economic and financial foundations come under increasing pressure," Mr Fehmi told The National.
He said that while security agencies remain on high alert with contingency plans in place, risks will stay high as long as Lebanon’s major parties fail to break the political deadlock and introduce reforms.
Enacting reforms has been a long-time demand of the international community.
It recently became a condition for the release billions of dollars in loans and financial support for Lebanon, which is reeling under the burden of a crisis that will plunge more than half of the population in poverty by 2021, according to the World Bank.
But rival political factions have failed to make headway with reforms laid out by French President Emanuel Macron during a visit to Beirut after its deadly port explosion.
Three months after the blast that destroyed large parts of the capital, killed more than 200 people and forced the resignation of Prime Minister Hassan Diab’s Cabinet, rival factions have failed to agree on forming a new government.
Signs of a breakthrough in talks led by Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri have yet to emerge amid rising tensions between Iran and US President Donald Trump’s administration, which continues to pile pressure on the Iran-backed group Hezbollah and its allies.
The Trump administration recently sanctioned President Michel Aoun’s son-in-law Gebran Bassil, leader of the largest Christian parliamentary bloc.
Mr Fehmi, who was a senior army officer under Mr Aoun, urged the country’s rival factions to give reforms priority over partisan interests to stabilise the economy and ease security threats.
“We are highlighting the security risks not to sow panic but to urge people to stay vigilant and to report any suspicious activity,” he said.
Mr Fehmi has come under the spotlight on different occasions for his direct and blunt approach.
In recent months, he drew criticism after he recalled in a televised interview the death of two men, when he and other soldiers clashed with members of an armed militia during the civil war.
“Perhaps I came across the wrong way when I spoke of the death of those two men, which I never intended that way," said Mr Fehmi, who was 21 at the time of the clash.
"I and my colleagues had the duty to protect the army as an institution, and ourselves when we were attacked."
Almost 40 years later, he is calling on Lebanon’s politicians to come together and restore trust in the state.
“Put your differences aside for now and focus on implementing reforms to save our country and shield our nation from security threats. That's my message to the political class,” he said several times in the interview.
Lebanon - A year in pictures
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Carlos Ghosn's home at Ashrafieh St., in Beirut, Lebanon. Sunniva Rose for The National -
Japanese journalists that were waiting outside, including when they were filming a car leaving Ghosn's house (unfortunately the driver did not look like him). Sunniva Rose for The National -
BEIRUT, LEBANON - OCTOBER 17: People wave Lebanese flags and chant to mark the one-year anniversary of anti-government protests with a background of the destroyed silos on the seaport on October 17, 2020 in Beirut, Lebanon. On the one year anniversary since the unprecedented mass protests of Lebanese demanding political change as the country buckled under social and economic devastation, Beirut remains in rubble after the August 4 port blast. (Photo by Marwan Tahtah/Getty Images) -
BEIRUT, LEBANON - JUNE 11: Protesters burn tires as large-scale protests resume on June 11, 2020 in Beirut, Lebanon. The Lebanese pound has lost 70% of its value since October when protests began. Although they abated during the coronavirus lockdown, the country's economic condition steadily worsened. (Photo by Diego Ibarra Sanchez/Getty Images) -
BEIRUT, LEBANON - SEPTEMBER 04: Protesters hold torches and nooses, which have become symbols of public anger against the Lebanese government, as they commemorate a month since the city's deadly explosion on September 4, 2020 in Beirut, Lebanon. On August 4th, a fire at Beirut's port ignited a stockpile of ammonium nitrate causing a massive explosion that killed more than 200 people, destroyed surrounding neighborhoods and upended countless lives. (Photo by Marwan Tahtah/Getty Images) -
BEIRUT, LEBANON - SEPTEMBER 10: Firefighters walk through a burned out warehouse as they respond to a huge blaze at Beirut port on September 10, 2020 in Beirut, Lebanon. The fire broke out in a structure in the city's heavily damaged port facility, the site of last month's explosion that killed more than 190 people. (Photo by Sam Tarling/Getty Images) -
BEIRUT, LEBANON - AUGUST 08: Protesters throw stones during an anti-government demonstrations on August 8, 2020 in Beirut, Lebanon. The Lebanese capital is reeling from this week's massive explosion that killed at least 150 people, wounded thousands, and destroyed wide swaths of the city. Residents are demanding accountability for the blast, whose suspected cause was 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate stored for years at the city's port. (Photo by Marwan Tahtah/Getty Images) -
BEIRUT, LEBANON - SEPTEMBER 12: An anti-government protester gives water to a policeman after other protesters attacked his vehicle during a march toward the Presidential Palace, on September 12, 2020 in Baabda, Beirut, Lebanon. (Photo by Sam Tarling/Getty Images) -
BEIRUT, LEBANON - SEPTEMBER 12: Anti-government protesters clash with security forces during a march toward the Presidential Palace, on September 12, 2020 in Baabda, Beirut, Lebanon. (Photo by Sam Tarling/Getty Images) -
BEIRUT, LEBANON - JANUARY 22: Anti government protesters and riot police clash during a second day of violence, on January 22, 2020 in an upscale shopping district in Beirut, Lebanon. Weeks of bickering between the Hezbollah-allied political factions backing Lebanon's new Prime Minister Hassan Diab as to who gets which ministries has led protesters to decry his new government as partisan and political, and not the technocratic leadership they have been demanding since protests began on Oct 17th last year. (Photo by Sam Tarling/Getty Images) -
BEIRUT, LEBANON - AUGUST 07: An aerial view of ruined structures near the city's port, the site of Tuesday's explosion, on August 7, 2020 in Beirut, Lebanon. By Friday, the official death toll from Tuesday's blast stood at 145, with thousands injured. Public anger swelled over the possibility that government negligence over the storage of tons of ammonium nitrate was behind the catastrophe. (Photo by Haytham Al Achkar/Getty Images) -
BEIRUT, LEBANON - AUGUST 05: An aerial view of ruined structures at the port, damaged by an explosion a day earlier, on August 5, 2020 in Beirut, Lebanon. As of Wednesday, more than 100 people were confirmed dead, with thousands injured, when an explosion rocked the Lebanese capital. Officials said a waterfront warehouse storing explosive materials, reportedly 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate, was the cause of the blast. (Photo by Haytham Al Achkar/Getty Images) -
BEIRUT, LEBANON - FEBRUARY 11: Anti-government protesters are hit by a water cannon as they pull down a concrete barricade during a failed attempt to block politicians from accessing Parliament where they will vote whether to accept Lebanon's new government, on February 11, 2020 in Beirut, Lebanon. (Photo by Sam Tarling/Getty Images) -
BEIRUT, LEBANON - AUGUST 5: Destroyed buildings are visible a day after a massive explosion occurred at the port on Aug. 5, 2020 in Beirut, Lebanon. As of Wednesday morning, more than 100 people were confirmed dead, with thousands injured, when an explosion rocked the Lebanese capital. Officials said a waterfront warehouse storing explosive materials, reportedly 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate, was the cause of the blast. (Photo by Daniel Carde/Getty Images) -
BEIRUT, LEBANON - SEPTEMBER 10: An aerial view of the black smoke following a fire that erupted in Beirut Ports Free Zone on September 10, 2020 in Beirut, Lebanon. The fire broke out in a structure in the city's heavily damaged port facility, the site of last month's explosion that killed more than 190 people. (Photo by Haytham Al Achkar/Getty Images) -
BEIRUT, LEBANON - AUGUST 17: Family members mourn as the coffins of firefighters Charbel Hetti, Najeeb Hetti and Charbel Karem who were killed in the August 4th, Beirut port explosion are carried to the church during their funeral service in their hometown of Qartaba on August 17, 2020 in Beirut, Lebanon. Najeeb Hetti, 27 his cousin Charbel Hetti, 22 and his sisters husband Charbel Karam, 37 were killed during the Beirut port explosion along with 7 other firefighters from the Karatina fire department, who were the first responders to the blaze. The remains of Najeeb and Charbel were found on August 13th, however the family refused to bury them until the body of Charbel Karam was found, his remains were recovered on August 15th. There has been little visible support from government agencies to help residents clear debris and help the displaced, although scores of volunteers from around Lebanon have descended on the city to help clean. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images) -
BEIRUT, LEBANON - AUGUST 07: A general view of buildings heavily damaged in Tuesday's explosion, on August 7, 2020 in Beirut, Lebanon. By Friday, the official death toll from Tuesday's blast stood at 145, with thousands injured. Public anger swelled over the possibility that government negligence over the storage of tons of ammonium nitrate was behind the catastrophe. (Photo by Haytham Al Achkar/Getty Images) -
BEIRUT, LEBANON - OCTOBER 30: A demonstrator throws stones at police at an anti-France protest on October 30, 2020 in Beirut, Lebanon. Following a series of deadly attacks, France's President Macron declared a crackdown on Islamist extremism by shutting down mosques and other organisations accused of instigating violence. The comments sparked protests across the Muslim world and calls for a boycott of French goods. (Photo by Sam Tarling/Getty Images) -
-- AFP PICTURES OF THE YEAR 2020 -- An injured man lies at the back of a car before being rushed away from the scene of a massive explosion at the port of Lebanon's capital Beirut on August 4, 2020. Two huge explosion rocked the Lebanese capital Beirut, wounding dozens of people, shaking buildings and sending huge plumes of smoke billowing into the sky. Lebanese media carried images of people trapped under rubble, some bloodied, after the massive explosions, the cause of which was not immediately known. - / AFP / Marwan TAHTAH -
-- AFP PICTURES OF THE YEAR 2020 -- A helicopter puts out a fire at the scene of an explosion at the port of Lebanon's capital Beirut on August 4, 2020. AFP / STR
Mr Fehmi, who led the Lebanon Mine Action Centre from 2006 to 2011, called on Arab states to continue to support Lebanon.
“Arab states have long supported Lebanon, particularly the UAE, which was a major partner in our efforts to clear mines across Lebanon," he said.
"Today, I call on our Arab friends to stand by Lebanon’s side."
Mr Fehmi said that since his appointment, he has prioritised reforms at the ministry starting with the digitisation of its services to try to reduce red tape and fight cronyism.
“I drew lessons from western developed countries and GCC states whose efforts paid off in this regard, and followed suit,” he said.
His efforts bore fruit with the launch of the Inter-Municipal Platform for Assessment Co-ordination and Tracking platform.
The database, originally launched to track Covid-19 cases in partnership with municipalities and the Health Ministry, has since been expanded to include up-to-date information on more than 560,000 low-income families in need of social assistance, Mr Fehmi said.
“This will help with any future government effort to put in place social assistance programmes,” he said. “Another pillar of my strategy was strengthening law enforcement.
His ministry was largely successful in enforcing measures to contain the Covid-19 virus in the early stages of the pandemic's outbreak before public discontent grew over the economic crisis and compliance with the government measures faded.
The rise in recorded cases prompted another two-week nation-wide lockdown to allow enough time for hospitals to increase their capacity before measures were eased again on November 30.
Mr Fehmi said the current measures would continue to apply, including a curfew from 11pm until 5am, unless the expert ministerial committee on Covid-19 recommended otherwise.
