Press Conference addressing the security measures taken following the declaration of the State of Emergency in Beirut
The LAF – Directorate of Orientation Director Brigadier General Ali Kanso held a press conference at the Ministry of National Defense Headquarters where he highlighted all actions taken during the state of emergency in Beirut:
On behalf of the LAF Commander, the LAF Command and the Lebanese security forces, we would like to extend our heartfelt condolences to the people of Lebanon and particularly to the relatives of the victims who lost their lives due to the explosion that ravaged the port of Beirut.
We also avail ourselves of this opportunity to stress our support to the families of the missing persons and to wish a speedy recovery to all the wounded.
LAF Commander General Joseph Aoun held a meeting to discuss the situation, in accordance with the decision of the Cabinet of Ministers issued on 5/8/2020 which declared Beirut as a disaster zone and declared the state of emergency in the capital.
The meeting was convened in the presence of General Security Director Major General Abbas Ibrahim, ISF Director Major General Imad Othman, State Security Director Major General Tony Saliba, Director General of the Lebanese Customs Badri Daher in addition to the governor of Beirut Judge Marwan Abboud, Director General of the Lebanese Civil Defense Brigadier General Raymond Khattar as well as the Secretary General of the Lebanese Red Cross Mr. Georges Kettaneh.
The officials discussed all actions set to be taken in the aftermath of the explosion and stressed on continuing the search and rescue operations to locate the victims and the wounded. The officials also highlighted the need to continue survey operations to determine the damages that afflicted buildings and properties within the means available. In parallel, other security forces will work on providing the additional needs of the LAF.
The following decisions were taken upon the discussions which were held during the meeting:
1 – With regard to the port area:
The decision has been taken to continue isolating the area hit by the blast to preserve the explosion scene while continuing the search and rescue efforts to locate the victims and missing persons within the available capabilities. Investigation committees will intensify their work in order to complete it as fast as possible.
2 – With regard to entrance number 14 or the fifth basin of the port which was not damaged by the blast, the decision has been taken to revitalize work in this part of the port.
- Resuming the process of cleaning and clearing the debris through the Municipality of Beirut in coordination and cooperation of the High Relief Commission and the damage survey committees assigned by the LAF.
3 – Security Forces:
- The decision has been taken to accelerate the search for victims and missing persons and the process of clearing the debris.
- On the other hand, the Red Cross will work on counting the rest of the bodies and the remains of the victims who were not identified by relatives. The ISF will be making DNA tests to the unidentified victims in ISF specialized labs. The relatives of the missing persons will be asked to head to El-Helou barrack to report their missing persons and undergo the necessary tests.
- The security forces tasked with controlling the blast site and the damaged surrounding areas have parceled out the sectors to prevent thefts and aggressions while continuing their work as usual in other areas around the capital.
4 – Aid:
First of all, we would like to extend our deep appreciation and gratitude to the Arab and foreign countries which decided to stand by our side by offering medical aid and relief supplies that have already began to arrive to Lebanon. We appreciate the efforts of these countries which stood by our side in these hard moments to meet our needs.
A Lebanese Army committee was assigned with the process of distributing and delivering this aid in accordance with the needs, in addition to distributing field hospitals and relief supplies in coordination with the Ministry of Health.
5 – Investigations:
With regard to investigations, the Military Police was assigned to continue pursuing the investigations related to the explosion under the supervision of the relevant judiciary authorities.
6 – Media outlets:
- We highly appreciate the role played by the media during this disaster that shook our country. While we stress our commitment to preserve the freedom of the media, we call upon all media outlets to understand the delicate nature of the situation and the need to abide by the actions and measures of the security forces to ensure the process of searching for victims and clearing the debris.
- Our national duty and the supreme national interest make it incumbent upon media outlets to prohibit any parties from taking advantage of their platforms to discuss security theories and analysis. We cannot stress enough the need to await the results of the investigations which will be revealed in due course.
- I will seize this opportunity to confirm once again that drones will be prohibited from operating in the blast area and in the whole region of Beirut considering the jamming and interference caused by these drones which will affect the work of LAF helicopters assisting in the relief operations. We confirm once again the need to refrain from discussing and spreading rumors. Therefore, we urge all media outlets to resort to the statements issued by the Army Command through the official website and the official pages of the Directorate of Orientation.
- The LAF has established a call center (05/456900) which will become operational starting tomorrow morning. Citizens may contact this call center to enquire about anything related to the blast area especially with regard to meeting the needs of the citizens affected by the explosion.
- And finally, I would like to call upon the media and the citizens to abide by the security actions.