25/12/2025
On the occasion of Christmas, and in cooperation between the Internal Security Forces and the General Directorate of Prisons, a Christmas Mass was held at Jbeil Prison. The Mass was presided over by Bishop Michel Aoun, Maronite Bishop of Jbeil, assisted by a number of priests. Also in attendance were Captain Suleiman Mudhaffar, Commander of Jbeil Prison; Ms. Natalie Maroun, Governor of Jbeil; Ms. Rida Azar, member of the National Committee Against Torture and for Human Rights; Sister Maria Goretti, a prison director; and a number of prison staff and inmates. Bishop Aoun focused on the meaning of Christmas and its messages of hope and peace, emphasizing that a prisoner is not stripped of their humanity or rights, even while in detention. At the conclusion of the Mass, those present listened to the prisoners’ requests for solutions to the complex issues they face within the prison.
Issued by the General Directorate of Internal Security Forces – Public Relations Division The following statement: As part of the ongoing monitoring conducted by the Internal Security Forces, particularly in the area of food safety, on January 21, 2026, a force from the Bekaa Investigation Detachment of the Regional Gendarmerie Unit, accompanied by a representative from the Ministry of Health, raided two chicken storage warehouses in the town of Saadnayel. It was found that the warehouses did not meet health and safety standards. According to the Ministry of Health report, serious and dangerous violations of health and safety standards were discovered, including: - Abnormal discoloration of the chicken. - Lack of necessary hygiene and refrigeration conditions, and leaving the chicken unrefrigerated for extended periods. As a result of the raid, ten people were arrested, nine of whom were Syrian nationals and one Lebanese. Two vans were also seized. The detainees and the seized items were handed over to the relevant authorities for legal proceedings, and the two warehouses were sealed with red wax, as instructed by the competent judicial authority. Additionally, more than three tons of chicken that did not meet health standards were seized and destroyed by the Bekaa Investigation Unit at a landfill belonging to the Zahle municipality, in accordance with approved health standards and in the presence of a representative from the Ministry of Health, as instructed by the competent judicial authority.
22/1/2026
Issued by the General Directorate of Internal Security Forces – Public Relations Division The following statement: As part of the ongoing efforts of the specialized units within the Internal Security Forces to combat robbery and theft across all Lebanese territories and apprehend the perpetrators, and following several complaints regarding an unidentified individual luring people through a global application for gay men, arranging meetings, and then taking them to the Kasara roundabout and subsequently to other secluded locations to steal their cars, money, or mobile phones. As a result of the follow-up, on January 15, 2026, a patrol from the Bekaa Investigation Detachment of the Regional Gendarmerie Unit arrested the suspect in a security operation involving a well-planned ambush in the town of Saadnayel, in cooperation with Army Intelligence in the Bekaa. The suspect was identified as: - A.S. (born in 2003, Lebanese). It was also revealed that he had committed several robberies, stealing money and mobile phones from citizens using a knife that was found in his possession. He had also stolen a car from one of his victims, which was later recovered in the town of Talia. He was selling the stolen goods in the town of Hortaala and using the proceeds to buy drugs. The suspect and the seized items were handed over to the relevant unit, and an investigation was launched under the supervision of the competent judicial authorities.
16/1/2026
Issued by the General Directorate of Internal Security Forces - Public Relations Division The following statement: Following several burglaries in the Tariq al-Jdideh neighborhood, carried out professionally by breaking and entering using metal tools, the most recent of which involved the theft of gold jewelry valued at approximately sixty thousand US dollars, the specialized units of the Internal Security Forces intensified their efforts to identify and apprehend the perpetrator. As a result of intensive follow-up and investigations, the Information Division was able to fully identify the suspect. Accordingly, a well-planned ambush was executed in the Cola neighborhood, where, on January 12, 2026, an Information Division patrol arrested the individual known as: - F.M. (Born in 1991, Syrian) During questioning, he confessed to committing four burglaries in the Tariq al-Jdideh neighborhood, particularly in the vicinity of Beirut Arab University and the municipal stadium. The most recent burglary occurred on January 11, 2026. The value of the stolen items, consisting of gold jewelry, was estimated at approximately $60,000 USD. It was also revealed that he has a prior criminal record for theft and that his modus operandi involves breaking into homes and stealing jewelry. The necessary legal procedures were carried out against him, and the investigation is ongoing under the supervision of the competent judicial authorities.
16/1/2026
Issued by the General Directorate of Internal Security Forces – Public Relations Division The following statement: At 10:30 AM on January 12, 2026, the Bekaa Investigation Detachment of the Regional Gendarmerie Unit received information that an unidentified individual had stabbed a student on school grounds in the town of Saadnayel. A patrol from the detachment immediately went to the school and was able to identify the suspect as: - A.M. (born in 2009, Syrian national). They arrested him and seized the weapon used in the crime, a switchblade knife. It was also determined that the student injured in the attack, named: - S.M. (born in 2011, Lebanese), was transported in critical condition to a local hospital and will undergo surgery. Initial investigations by the Shtoura police station revealed that the suspect was a student at the same school. He had come under the pretext of greeting former classmates, but his true intention was to stab another student for personal reasons; however, he mistakenly targeted the wrong person. The investigation is ongoing under the supervision of the competent judicial authorities.
12/1/2026