Basbous Orders Recruitment of ISF Reserves for Active Duty

Acting Internal Security Forces chief Brig. Gen. Ibrahim Basbous on Friday issued a decree on the recruitment of a number of reserves for active duty in the ISF.

"Reserves who have been summoned can check their names and the dates of their enrollment at the ISF Institute in Wirwar on the website of the ISF Directorate General www.isf.gov.lb or at the nearest ISF post,” said a statement issued by the directorate.

On Sunday, caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel had announced that a memo would soon be issued to call up ISF reserves of the ranks of adjutant and below.

“We are going through a very difficult dilemma and trying to manage things with modest capabilities. The awareness of politicians is what's preventing the country from blowing up, in addition to some of our security assets,” said Charbel.

The move comes after troops from the ISF, army and General Security deployed in Beirut's southern suburbs, Baalbek and Nabatiyeh and took over security checkpoints erected by Hizbullah.

The security points were established after car bombings in the southern suburbs that killed 27 people on August 15 and wounded more than 50 on July 9.

Following the bombings, Hizbullah turned the southern suburbs into a fortress with guards in civilian clothes policing the streets, stopping and searching cars, and asking motorists for their identity cards.

There were multiple incidents with citizens and journalists at the checkpoints in Dahieh, and a clash at one with Palestinian refugees earlier this month left one dead and four injured.

Several clashes also took place at Hizbullah's checkpoints in Baalbek and one of them morphed into a full-blown armed clash that left three people dead and several others injured on Saturday.

Charbel has also announced that a security plan would be implemented in the northern city of Tripoli which has recently witnessed twin bombings at two mosques that left at least 45 people dead and 500 others injured.