Grand Serail Meeting Decides to Maintain 'Highest Levels of Security Readiness'
Prime Minister Tammam Salam presided over a security meeting at the Grand Serail on Monday and the conferees decided to maintain “the highest levels of vigilance and readiness” in the country, state-run National News Agency reported.
The meeting was attended by Defense Minister Samir Moqbel, Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq, Army Chief General Jean Qahwaji, General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim, Army intelligence director Brig. Gen. Camille Daher, Higher Defense Council head Maj. Gen. Mohammed Kheir and State Commissioner to Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr.
“The conferees discussed the security situations in the country and decided to continue the security measures that have been taken in all Lebanese regions and to maintain the highest levels of vigilance and readiness in a manner that preserves the current stability and foils any plots aimed at undermining security in Lebanon,” NNA said.
The meeting comes on in the wake of a blast that targeted the headquarters of BLOM Bank in Beirut's Verdun area and security concerns about possible terrorist attacks during the holy month of Ramadan.
The interior minister reassured Thursday that the security situation in the country is “under control,” dismissing recent security warnings by some foreign embassies.
“I repeat: the security situations are under control and nothing justifies the new warnings, which are inaccurate,” Mashnouq announced.
“The circulated information is old and dates back to two months ago,” he noted.
“There is nothing new that justifies the warnings that have been issued by the embassies and the Lebanese State does not usually issue such warnings. We repel the threats through the work of the security agencies,” he added.
Media outlets and social networking websites have in recent weeks been abuzz with reports attributed to security agencies and foreign embassies about possible terrorist attacks during the holy month of Ramadan against touristic sites such as restaurants, pubs and malls.
Mashnouq had announced that three Islamic State-linked cells had been busted in the three months that preceded Ramadan.
Y.R.
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