11/6/2026
Issued by the General Directorate of the Internal Security Forces – Public Relations Division
The following communiqué was issued:
As part of the ongoing efforts undertaken by the Internal Security Forces to combat various types of crime throughout Lebanon, particularly cybercrime and online fraud, a woman filed a complaint on 10-04-2026 before the Barouk Police Station of the Regional Gendarmerie Unit against a person identified as (A. T.), whose full identity remains unknown, for fraud and deception committed through a money transfer application. Pursuant to the instructions of the competent judicial authority, the investigation was referred on 22-04-2026 to the Cybercrime and Intellectual Property Rights Bureau of the Judicial Police Unit.
During her testimony at the Bureau’s headquarters, the complainant stated that, since the outbreak of the recent war, she had been actively involved with a number of friends working in the humanitarian and social sectors in organizing donation campaigns for displaced persons and affected families, with the aim of providing medicines, food supplies, infant formula, and diapers. She explained that she had published her phone number in WhatsApp groups to receive financial transfers through a money transfer company and had indeed begun receiving donations from various contributors.
She further stated that on 09-04-2026 she received a phone call from a person identifying himself as (A. T.), claiming to be a representative of the money transfer company she dealt with. He falsely informed her that her account had exceeded the permitted limit and that several financial transfers were pending as a result, offering to assist her in resolving the issue.
As she was expecting a money transfer from a relative living abroad, she believed his claims and began following his instructions. To verify that her account was still operational, she transferred a sum of money to her son’s account. After the transaction succeeded, he asked her to provide the verification code she had received through the company’s mobile application.
He then falsely claimed that USD 5,000 had been withdrawn from the account due to the alleged problem and later requested another verification code that had been sent to her son’s phone, under the pretext of fixing the issue and reorganizing the account.
After she provided the second code, she discovered that the funds had disappeared from the account. When she confronted him, he openly admitted that he had taken the money, claiming that she would recover it later together with the pending transfer. At that point, she realized that she had fallen victim to an online fraud scheme.
Through technical and digital investigations, Bureau personnel succeeded in tracing the path of the funds withdrawn from the complainant’s account. It was determined that the money had been transferred to an account associated with a digital trading company. After contacting the company, the Bureau requested that the amount be frozen.
As a result of the follow-up investigation, on 28-04-2026, the company’s legal representative appeared at the Bureau’s offices and handed over the full amount to the investigators.
The entire amount was subsequently returned to the complainant. Investigations remain ongoing, under the supervision of the competent judicial authority, to identify and arrest all those involved.
Warning:
The General Directorate of the Internal Security Forces urges citizens and residents alike to exercise caution against various fraud schemes and not to send any official documents, financial information, verification codes, or copies thereof to any suspicious or untrusted party, in order to avoid becoming victims of fraudsters.
The Directorate General of the Internal Security Forces – Public Relations Division issued the following statement: As part of the Internal Security Forces’ ongoing efforts to track down and arrest individuals wanted by the judiciary and suspects across various Lebanese regions, and as a result of field and intelligence operations conducted by the specialized units of the Information Branch, the whereabouts of one of the most dangerous individuals wanted by the judiciary for various offenses were identified. The suspect had been moving with extreme caution in the Ain al-Dahab area of Akkar. He was identified as: K. S. (born in 2001, Lebanese), who is the subject of 20 judicial warrants for offenses including theft, forming a criminal gang, arms trafficking, and burglary. On 7 August 2026, following a meticulous surveillance and monitoring operation, an Information Branch patrol arrested him in a carefully planned ambush in the aforementioned area. He was handed over to the relevant unit for the necessary legal measures to be taken against him, pursuant to the instructions of the competent judiciary.
15/8/2026
The Directorate General of the Internal Security Forces – Public Relations Division issued the following statement: A contracting company will carry out work to lay the second layer of asphalt from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, 15 and 16 August 2026, in several areas of Beirut. Accordingly, the Directorate General will implement the following traffic measures: First – In Cola, on the eastbound lane leading from Hamza Mosque toward the Corniche al-Mazraa intersection: Traffic coming uphill from the Sports City toward Tariq al-Jdideh will be diverted left onto Fleifel Street, then left onto Abdel Basset Ghandour Street, reaching the Arab University of Beirut behind Hamza Mosque. Traffic will then continue toward Corniche al-Mazraa at the Al-Rifai intersection. Traffic coming from Al-Rifai toward Cola will be restricted to one lane. Traffic coming from Al-Zouheiri Station–Wata al-Msaytbeh toward Tariq al-Jdideh will be diverted and restricted to one lane to the right of the Cola–Al-Boustani intersection. Traffic coming from the downhill road by the Arab University of Beirut up to Hamza Mosque and heading toward Cola will be diverted right onto Fleifel Street, then left onto Abdel Basset Ghandour Street, reaching the Arab University of Beirut behind the aforementioned mosque. Traffic will then continue toward the Al-Rifai intersection on Corniche al-Mazraa and onward toward Cola, using one lane. Second – From Peugeot Bridge to the Dakhiliyeh intersection: Traffic will be prohibited along the aforementioned stretch. Vehicles coming from beneath Peugeot Bridge will be diverted toward Al-Badawi Street and onward to Mar Mikhaël–Gemmayzeh. Traffic coming from the Al-Nahr traffic lights will be diverted toward Fiat Bridge, with two lanes operating in opposite directions. Citizens are requested to take note of these measures and comply with the instructions and directions of Internal Security Forces personnel in order to facilitate traffic flow and prevent congestion.
14/8/2026
The Directorate General of the Internal Security Forces – Public Relations Division issued the following statement: As part of the Internal Security Forces’ ongoing efforts to apprehend individuals wanted by the judiciary, a patrol from the Beirut Central District Police Station of the Beirut Police Unit arrested a suspicious individual in downtown Beirut on 19 July 2026, while he was riding an olive-green SYM GR 125 motorcycle. After verifying his identity, he was identified as: F. J. (born in 1996, Lebanese) who was wanted in connection with three judicial proceedings for theft offenses. The necessary legal measures were taken against him, pursuant to the instructions of the competent judiciary.
14/8/2026
The Directorate General of the Internal Security Forces – Public Relations Division issued the following statement: As part of the Internal Security Forces’ ongoing efforts to combat drug trafficking and distribution across various regions of Lebanon, the Information Branch received information indicating that two unidentified individuals were dealing drugs in the North Lebanon Governorate. Following this information, the Branch’s specialized units launched field and intelligence operations to identify and arrest the two suspects. As a result of their inquiries and investigations, the Branch was able to establish their identities as: W. A. A. (born in 2000, Palestinian), nicknamed “Obama”; M. Sh. (born in 1996, Palestinian), nicknamed “Al-Tablouj.” On 12 August 2026, following a meticulous surveillance and monitoring operation, a Branch patrol arrested them in the Al-Madfoun area while they were aboard a public passenger van. A search of the two suspects resulted in the seizure of: 22 large transparent nylon bags containing 2,784 g of salvia; 3 small transparent bags containing 21 g of the same substance; 3 small transparent bags containing plastic capsules filled with 37 g of cocaine base; as well as two mobile phones. During questioning, they admitted that they had obtained the drugs from the Laylaki area with the intention of distributing them in various parts of the North Lebanon Governorate. The necessary legal measures were taken against them, and they were handed over, along with the seized items, to the relevant authority pursuant to the instructions of the competent judiciary.
14/8/2026
