Following heavy bombardment and the capture of a nearby hill, the Lebanese government has deployed General Security and State Security units to Nabatiyé. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam assured local officials the state will not abandon the city, while the General Security branch officially reopened its center on September 23, 2026.
State security units moved into Nabatiyé following a high-level security meeting in Baabda and a promise from Interior Minister Ahmad Hajjar that the government will not abandon the municipality. The deployment follows an earlier reinforcement of the Lebanese Army in the area.
Security Forces Return and Administrative Restoration in Nabatiyé
The General Security directorate formally announced the reopening of the Martyr Warrant Officer Ali Ayash Center in Nabatiyé, with operations resuming normally to handle documentation and administrative paperwork for local residents and visitors. Simultaneously, regional offices under the South Lebanon General Security department continue to process applications on an exceptional basis to accommodate local security conditions.
Agents from both security institutions positioned themselves along several roadways, according to reports from South Lebanon correspondent Mountasser Abdallah. The return of these services to their permanent headquarters in Nabatiyé continues to face practical hurdles due to the volatile security environment that followed the recent weekend escalation in the city. The General Security center is situated in the university district, a zone that has repeatedly been the target of strikes and bombardments in recent times. In contrast, the State Security center inside the Serail building was destroyed during a deadly Israeli airstrike in April that caused numerous casualties among its personnel.
Interior Minister Ahmad Hajjar promised that the presence of official institutions and services will be further strengthened, specifically highlighting the Internal Security Forces (ISF) and other administrations under the Ministry of the Interior, which will return as soon as restoration work on the Government Serail is finished.
Local Response and Municipal Concerns Over Ongoing Conflict
Mayor Abbas Fakhreddine welcomed the patrols conducted by State Security, stating that the presence of security forces complements the measures taken by the Lebanese Army and has contributed to spreading a sense of security and tranquility among the population after the latest escalation and deadly strikes in nearby Kfar Remmane. Fakhreddine noted that while the visible military and security presence encourages people to stay in their homes, questions remain regarding whether patrols alone are sufficient to prevent Israeli attacks.
Local residents, activists, and political figures voiced anxieties that Nabatiyé might share the fate of border villages completely razed by Israeli operations, such as Bint Jbeil and Khiam. These fears escalated after Israel announced operational control over the adjacent Ali Taher hill, an elevated position housing Hezbollah tunnels and base infrastructure that the Israeli military intends to demolish. In response to these concerns, residents and officials had called for an army deployment to disarm the Shiite party and remove any pretext for an offensive by the Israeli state, leading to the initial warmly welcomed reinforcements by Lebanese Army units.
Official Assurances and Diplomatic Reactions
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam contacted Mayor Fakhreddine directly to confirm that security forces would remain in place. Interior Minister Hajjar emphasized that reinforcing state security is a national responsibility at this stage aimed at guaranteeing the protection of citizens and ensuring the continuity of administrative functions and services.
The visible mobilization drew diplomatic notice. The United States embassy interpreted the development as a sign of support by the people for the Lebanese state, noting that the population prefers state institutions over the weapons of Hezbollah. As the embassy remarked, every day the Lebanese people clearly demonstrate that they prefer the institutions of the Lebanese state.
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