Lebanese authorities have ramped up security operations across Beirut, deploying police and municipal guards in close coordination to maintain order and reassure residents amid growing concerns over displacement and potential threats, according to Nidaa Al-Watan.

A memo from Beirut Police Chief Imad Al-Jamal directed patrol units to remain highly visible throughout the city and to maintain a minimum distance of ten meters between personnel. All security branches—including intervention units, intelligence divisions, SWAT teams, and municipal guards—have been mobilized, with some apartments reportedly cleared as part of the operation.

Foot patrols, vehicle units, checkpoints, and monitoring of shelters now reinforce the heightened security presence, aimed at protecting both displaced residents and long-term inhabitants.

Beirut hosts Lebanon’s largest population of internally displaced persons. Fadi Baghdadi, communications officer for Beirut’s Disaster Management Room, said 14,195 families—roughly 45,950 people—are currently living in 141 official shelters. Some remain on the streets, while others have been relocated to the northern district of Akkar. Many displaced residents still prefer to stay near their homes in the southern suburbs, and thousands more are staying with relatives in the capital.

Residents have expressed concern that armed elements, including Hezbollah operatives, could be hiding among the displaced, while ongoing Israeli strikes across Lebanon have heightened anxieties.

“We want to see the State with our own eyes to feel safe,” one resident in a mixed neighborhood said. “We need security forces at schools to manage relocation—not residents themselves, including partisans.”

Many schools in Beirut, converted into shelters, now house families connected to military or security services, which has helped reduce conflicts. Other schools accommodate displaced families without such ties. Local activist Mohammad Khair Bennout said coordination with authorities ensures safety, noting strict rules prohibiting weapons and continuous monitoring by intelligence services.

Smaller municipalities across Lebanon have also enforced strict measures to ensure displaced individuals are vetted before being housed locally. Beirut’s municipal authorities, led by Rasha Fattouh, are working with local elders to prevent armed elements from entering the city and to maintain public order. Measures also counter Hezbollah pressure on businesses, including attempts to remove security cameras, reinforcing the state’s control over the capital.

Retired Brigadier General Khaled Jaroudi stressed the importance of “responsible actors” in Beirut’s second district to prevent escalation. Coordinated efforts between political leaders, security forces, and municipal authorities are aimed at avoiding sectarian violence similar to May 7, 2008, when clashes shook the city.

Authorities emphasize that a visible state presence is essential not only for residents’ protection but also for maintaining civil order and the credibility of national institutions. Beirut’s residents, both displaced and long-term, are looking for tangible evidence of state authority on the ground as tensions across Lebanon remain high.