📰 4 sources 8 articles · 19 Oct 2026, 10:50 → 25 days ago

Aoun chairs security meeting, orders ban on armed displays, weapons confiscation and reinforced deployment in the south

Interior Minister Ahmad al-Hajjar briefed President Joseph Aoun on the security situation and the measures being taken, after which Aoun chaired a security meeting in Baabda ordering strict law enforcement, a ban on armed displays, the confiscation of weapons and ammunition, and a reinforced security presence in southern villages. This coincided with intensive international consultations on alternatives to UNIFIL and concern over a UN withdrawal from the south without an alternative mechanism.

📍 Where things stand: President Aoun's security directives came out of an expanded meeting in Baabda, while international consultations on alternatives to UNIFIL continue without any having been settled.

⏱️ Timeline

19 Oct 2026, 10:50 Interior Minister Ahmad al-Hajjar briefed President Joseph Aoun on the country's security situation and the measures the ministry is taking to strengthen security and stability. The measures of the General Directorate of Internal Security Forces were reviewed, in coordination with the Lebanese Army, to reinforce security deployment and patrols across regions, especially Beirut and the south, with emphasis on proactive measures as decided by the Central Internal Security Council.
19 Oct 2026, 15:22 President Joseph Aoun chaired a security meeting in which he stressed strict enforcement of the laws, preventing armed displays, confiscating weapons and ammunition, expediting investigations and referring violators to the competent judiciary; he called for the highest levels of readiness, coordination and information-sharing among the security and military agencies, and warned against exploiting economic conditions to disrupt security. The Presidency stated that the meeting stressed preventing armed displays and confiscating weapons in southern villages, and Aoun said the current phase requires close monitoring of the situation and proactive measures. The meeting discussed the successive security incidents amid internal tensions linked to Hezbollah's weapons and the incidents of Dahr al-Baidar, Galerie Semaan and the Nahr al-Fanar tunnel.
19 Oct 2026, 17:22 President Aoun requested strengthening the presence of the Internal Security Forces, General Security and State Security in the southern villages and towns not under Israeli occupation, stressing the need for strict law enforcement, preventing armed displays and confiscating weapons and ammunition, and calling for proactive measures and full coordination between the security and military agencies away from duplication of roles.
20 Oct 2026, 00:00 An international source told al-Nahar that consultations with senior Lebanese officials showed shared concern over a possible UN withdrawal from the south without an alternative international mechanism to monitor the Blue Line and prevent military friction, at a time when international consultations on alternatives to UNIFIL are intensifying and none has yet been settled, while President Aoun chaired an expanded security meeting in Baabda.

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

How the sources covered it

Al-Nahar focused on the procedural measures and security deployment and then on consultations over UNIFIL alternatives; Lebanon Debate focused on the outcomes of the presidential meeting and Aoun's statements; Anadolu highlighted the directive to reinforce security agencies' presence in southern villages; and Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed linked the meeting to internal tensions over Hezbollah's weapons and recent security incidents.

annahar.com It led with the interior minister's briefing to President Aoun and the deployment and patrol measures in Beirut and the south, then added in a later report the consultations on UNIFIL alternatives and concern over a UN withdrawal, citing an international source.
Lebanon Debate It focused on the security meeting chaired by Aoun and quoted the Presidency on preventing armed displays and confiscating weapons in southern villages, and highlighted Aoun's assertion that the current phase requires close monitoring and proactive measures.
Anadolu Ajansı It highlighted Aoun's request to strengthen the presence of the Internal Security Forces, General Security and State Security in southern villages and towns not under Israeli occupation, and the call for full coordination away from duplication of roles.
العربي الجديد It presented the meeting in the context of successive security incidents and internal tensions linked to Hezbollah's weapons, citing the Dahr al-Baidar, Galerie Semaan and Nahr al-Fanar tunnel incidents.