📰 3 sources 5 articles · 9 Nov 2026, 09:10 → 3 days ago

Lebanon: About 20 arrested and tightened security measures after Harjar's meeting with Aoun

Interior and Municipalities Minister Ahmad Harjar announced, after meeting President Joseph Aoun at the presidential palace in Baabda, that field measures and security follow-ups had led to the arrest of about 20 people, most of whom confessed to robbery and pickpocketing, stressing that the measures continue and that security and stability must not be touched. The following day, reports pointed to a diversification of theft and pickpocketing methods despite a decline in crime indicators in the first ten months of 2026, and to a ministerial meeting chaired by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on strengthening security and deployment in Beirut and Greater Beirut.

📍 Where things stand: The security measures are still ongoing, with ministerial follow-up on strengthening security deployment in Beirut and Greater Beirut.

⏱️ Timeline

9 Nov 2026, 09:10 Interior and Municipalities Minister Ahmad Harjar announced, after meeting President Joseph Aoun at the presidential palace in Baabda, that field measures and security follow-ups in recent days, in coordination between the Interior and Defense ministries, had resulted in the arrest of about 20 people, most of whom confessed to robbery and pickpocketing. He stressed that security measures continue and that citizens' security and the country are a permanent priority, warning against touching security and stability.
10 Nov 2026, 06:41 Reports said methods of theft and pickpocketing in Lebanon have diversified, ranging from fraud and impersonation to staging traffic accidents and luring victims with fake deals, despite security agencies confirming a decline in crime indicators during the first ten months of 2026.
10 Nov 2026, 06:41 A ministerial meeting chaired by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam discussed strengthening security and deployment in Beirut and Greater Beirut, at a time when Interior Minister Ahmad Harjar announced the arrest of about 20 people in operations coordinated between the Interior and Defense ministries.

Timeline written by AI from the sources below; updated as new reports arrive.

⚠️ Sources disagree

Name of the Interior Minister

Ahmad Harjar according to MTV Lebanon
Bassam Harjar (in one version) and Ahmad Harjar (in another version) according to lebanon debate

Figures as each outlet reported them at the time. We do not judge which is correct; numbers often change as events develop.

How the sources covered it

MTV Lebanon focused on the details of Minister Harjar's announcement from Baabda as well as on evolving theft methods and the ministerial meeting, while lebanon debate limited itself to the arrest figure and the security warning, and Lebanon ON conveyed only the Interior Ministry's announcement and the warning against security breaches without mentioning the Baabda meeting or the confessions.

MTV Lebanon It led with Minister Ahmad Harjar's announcement from Baabda after his meeting with President Joseph Aoun, citing the figure of about 20 detainees, most confessing to robbery and pickpocketing, and coordination between the Interior and Defense ministries; a later report added details on diversified theft methods, declining crime indicators and the ministerial meeting chaired by Nawaf Salam.
lebanon debate It confined itself to the substance of the announcement after the meeting with the president, highlighting the figure of about 20 detainees, most confessing to robbery and pickpocketing, and the warning against touching security and stability; in one of its versions the minister's name appeared as "Bassam Harjar".
Lebanon ON It attributed the announcement to the Lebanese Interior Ministry rather than the minister, and focused on the warning against any breach of security and against those carrying out violations and attacks on stability and civil peace, without mentioning the Baabda meeting, the confessions or coordination with the Defense Ministry.

AI comparison of what each outlet emphasized. It describes emphasis, not accuracy.

MTV Lebanonlebanon debateLebanon ON