Charbel Voices Concern over Security Chaos, Expects Tough Times Ahead

Caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel expressed fear on Wednesday over the recent security incidents, expecting that the upcoming three months will be very delicate and tough.

“The situation is still under control and we have been able so far to contain the security violations,” Charbel said in comments published in As Safir newspaper.

However, he warned that at some point “we might suffer a big blow.”

The caretaker Minister urged political foes to bridge the gap among them to prevent culprits from exploiting the gaps to “spread chaos in Lebanon.”

He stressed that “the security situation should be fortified through the formation of a new cabinet and electing a new president that the foes agree on.”

“Lebanon is governed through consensus and any distortion will have a negative impact on its stability,” Charbel said.

The violence in Syria appeared to spill over into neighboring Lebanon again on Tuesday, when a car exploded near a Hizbullah post in the east of the country.

In a separate incident, several rockets rained down on the eastern Lebanese town of Hermel, a Hizbullah bastion, with one hitting an army barracks and wounding two soldiers, the Lebanese military said.

Hizbullah has been the target of repeated attacks by suspected Sunni hardliners since its Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, confirmed in April that its fighters were in Syria supporting President Bashar Assad.

In recent months, several blasts have struck Hizbullah targets in both the Bekaa and Beirut.

On November 19, two suicide attackers targeted the Iranian embassy in southern Beirut, killing 23 people.

Analysts say the blasts are linked to the involvement of Tehran-backed Hizbullah in Syria's war.