Lebanon on Alert after Locusts Swarm through Neighboring Syria

Caretaker Minister of Agriculture Abbas Mortada gave directives to specialized teams at the ministry on Thursday to be prepared for possible swarms of locusts seen in neighboring Syria.

Over fears the locusts could spread to Lebanon, Mortada gave his directives and also urged people living in areas on the border with Syria, to report through the ministry’s hotline whenever locusts were spotted.

Moreover, the minister asked caretaker Defense Minister Zeina Akar to have the army helicopters ready for any emergency in that regard.

Syria said in a statement it recently published that the images circulating on social media about the density of desert locusts that have reached some Syrian areas are old pictures taken from the Internet, and “not in Syria.”

It added, the recently spotted locusts in Syria are few in number, and all necessary measures have been taken to prevent its spread to other areas.