Lebanon's security forces are drained and unable to fulfil their duties as the toll of the country's financial meltdown slashes their salaries while they try to keep the peace in the middle of a political deadlock, the country's caretaker interior minister said on Wednesday.
In an interview with local VDL News, Mohammed Fahmy blamed political parties that are unable to agree on a national rescue plan.
"It is only natural that we are unable to perform our security duties in a complete way amid this chaos, especially when Lebanese political parties could not put forward a national salvation plan to save the nation," he said.
"Security forces are being drained daily, we have reached rock bottom ... I am talking about 90 per cent of our duties, we are no longer able to perform them to protect the people and the nation."
Lebanon protests – in pictures
Mr Fahmy repeatedly said that the political crisis blocking work to fix the dire economic crisis was taking a toll on national security and lawlessness would get worse as the situation deteriorated.
Lebanon's financial crisis, which erupted in 2019, has wiped out jobs, locked people's bank deposits and raised the risk of widespread hunger.
It also piled strain on army and security forces because the currency crash wiped out most of the value of their salaries at a time when unrest and crime are surging.
Mr Fahmy's comments came two days after Lebanese army chief Gen Joseph Aoun berated politicians and said soldiers were going hungry, like the rest of the nation.
"The solution starts with forming a government to save what is left of this nation," Mr Fahmy said.
Lebanon's economic crisis was compounded after a port explosion last August devastated whole tracts of Beirut, killing about 200 people.
The explosion led to the resignation of Prime Minister Hassan Diab's government, which has stayed on in a caretaker capacity.
But Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri, since his nomination in October, is at loggerheads with President Michel Aoun and has been unable to form a new government to carry out much-needed reforms to unlock international aid.
Mr Fahmy fears the country is heading for the worst. "Three months ago I would say the security situation is starting to break down, now I am saying it has broken down, all possibilities are open."
Racecard
6.35pm: American Business Council – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
7.10pm: British Business Group – Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,200m
7.45pm: CCI France UAE – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,400m
8.20pm: Czech Business Council – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh105,000 (D) 1,400m
8.55pm: Netherlands Business Council – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,600m
9.30pm: Indian Business and Professional Council – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,200m
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The biog
Family: wife, four children, 11 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren
Reads: Newspapers, historical, religious books and biographies
Education: High school in Thatta, a city now in Pakistan
Regrets: Not completing college in Karachi when universities were shut down following protests by freedom fighters for the British to quit India
Happiness: Work on creative ideas, you will also need ideals to make people happy
How to help
Call the hotline on 0502955999 or send "thenational" to the following numbers:
2289 - Dh10
2252 - Dh50
6025 - Dh20
6027 - Dh100
6026 - Dh200
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Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
if you go
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct to Kolkata from Dh1,504 and Dh1,450 return including taxes, respectively. The flight takes four hours 30 minutes outbound and 5 hours 30 minute returning.
The trains
Numerous trains link Kolkata and Murshidabad but the daily early morning Hazarduari Express (3’ 52”) is the fastest and most convenient; this service also stops in Plassey. The return train departs Murshidabad late afternoon. Though just about feasible as a day trip, staying overnight is recommended.
The hotels
Mursidabad’s hotels are less than modest but Berhampore, 11km south, offers more accommodation and facilities (and the Hazarduari Express also pauses here). Try Hotel The Fame, with an array of rooms from doubles at Rs1,596/Dh90 to a ‘grand presidential suite’ at Rs7,854/Dh443.
Company%20profile
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Courses%20at%20Istituto%20Marangoni%2C%20Dubai
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company%20Profile
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How to volunteer
The UAE volunteers campaign can be reached at www.volunteers.ae , or by calling 800-VOLAE (80086523), or emailing info@volunteers.ae.
