‘In the eye of chaos’: Lebanon’s security chief issues warning

Major-General Abbas Ibrahim says the collapse of state institutions threatens to undermine the stability of the country.

The head of one of Lebanon’s most powerful security agencies has ordered his officers to stand firm in the face of its national crisis, warning of the chaos that would ensue if the state collapsed. Major-General Abbas Ibrahim, in a message to General Security staff, said state institutions had been undermined by “the great collapse”. He was referring to a financial crisis that has gripped Lebanon for two years and plumbed new depths this month as supplies of imported fuel ran out, forcing even essential services to scale back or shut down and sparking numerous security incidents.