The security situation in Lebanon has returned to prominence, forcefully asserting itself on the military and security apparatuses that are addressing it on three fronts: the first involves tracking dormant security cells, especially those linked to terrorist organizations, and preventing the return of bombings and assassinations. The second front concerns countering Israeli espionage networks that occasionally emerge. The third front is characterized by the rise of mobile armed robbery incidents across regions, raising concerns about a security breakdown that could lead some parties to resort to self-defense.
Despite the difficult financial and social conditions faced by various security agencies, they are called upon to enhance their role in "preventive security" and "preemptive operations," particularly as these security pressures intensify ahead of critical upcoming events for Lebanon, from government formation to presidential elections and the ongoing maritime border demarcation with Israel.
The fruits of this policy became evident with the revelation of a security cell that was planning operations targeting the military in Baalbek. A prominent security source told "Asharq Al-Awsat" that "the military intelligence apprehended a network last week operating in favor of ISIS, which was planning to target a military site of the Lebanese army and patrols in the Baalbek area." The source reported that "the military intelligence intercepted the cell in a town in western Baalbek, where they were preparing explosive devices to target a major military center located on one of the region's hills and to blow up an armored patrol after monitoring the routes it usually takes, as well as plotting to detonate a sensitive religious site." It was confirmed that "three of its members have been arrested, while it turned out that the operator and financier of the cell is a Lebanese residing in Colombia. The cell's legitimate emir, who established it, regularly provided it with teachings on jihadist ideology and supplied it with ideas from the extremist organization, managed to travel to Colombia and join the financier upon learning of the cell members’ arrest."
The source stated that military intelligence "coordinated with local figures and informed them about the return of organizations to recruit Lebanese individuals, stressing the need to be cautious of the potential recruitment of local youth again for the most dangerous terrorist organization, ISIS."
Discussions about the return of security cells to northern Lebanon received considerable attention, with Lebanese media highlighting it as an imminent and explosive danger that could ignite the Lebanese arena at any moment. However, the security source considered that "the promotional narrative has taken on a media dimension beyond its actual size on the ground." While acknowledging the "return of several individuals from Syria in recent weeks, each case was handled individually," the source firmly asserted that "there is no organized operation or available data about cells preparing for large-scale operations in northern Lebanon, especially in Tripoli and Akkar as promoted," emphasizing that the situation "is not at the level of danger being advertised." The source noted that "the concerned agencies are monitoring the potential arrival of groups from Syria at any moment or the possible return of dozens of individuals who left Tripoli last year and joined ISIS in Iraq, despite information received by many families that they had been killed in American airstrikes."
Alongside the meticulous tracking of the activities of groups and security cells, an armed robbery incident that occurred in the city of Tripoli two weeks ago gained widespread interest, especially as it nearly led to a new conflict between the neighborhoods of Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen. The incident resulted in the death of three young men from the Alawite community from Jabal Mohsen inside a mobile phone shop in the area. The security source indicated that "the swift arrests made by the Lebanese army in the hours following the incident clarified the motives behind the crime and helped to calm tensions," revealing that "the robbery was led by a young man named Khaled Abdul Majid, known for his extremist leanings, who had previously been arrested for a murder he committed in Tripoli in 2017 and recently emerged from prison under mysterious circumstances." The source emphasized that "robbery was the sole motive for the crime and that the three accomplices who accompanied Abdul Majid (who was killed during an exchange of gunfire with the mobile shop owners) managed to escape," considering that "the danger lies in the fact that the group executed the crime in broad daylight."
The source reported that "initial investigations led to the arrest of 10 individuals who were providing logistical support to the gang and a former member of the internal security forces by purchasing crime-related equipment, such as helmets, gloves, and masks to conceal the perpetrators' identities and to hide the stolen goods." According to confessions made by the arrested individuals, "the gang members planned to violently rob jewelry stores in Tripoli and had identified targets and times for their operations, which would have resulted in casualties."
The success of the army and security agencies in dismantling the Tripoli gang extended to a robbery that occurred in front of a bank in the Zahle area, resulting in the theft of $50,000 from one individual. The source pointed out that "surveillance and inquiry operations allowed them to grasp the threads of the crime and identify the perpetrators, who will be apprehended in due time."
Lebanon's security agencies are facing a spy war waged by the Israeli enemy against Lebanon through the recruitment of networks of agents within the country. A judicial source informed "Asharq Al-Awsat" that "the judicial police across all its sectors successfully dismantled a ring of espionage networks and identified their recruitment mechanisms from abroad, after the enemy exploited the financial and social crises faced by the Lebanese people, which facilitated the entrapment of dozens of individuals through monetary inducements, in an attempt to disrupt security and destabilize Lebanon." The source emphasized that there have been major successes in dismantling these networks, acknowledging that "the Information Branch of the internal security forces takes on the lion's share of monitoring and tracking these networks and capturing them."
