BEIRUT: Officials at a Lebanese hospital have drafted in a private security firm to protect staff in the wake of several gun attacks.
Nurses, doctors, and administration workers at the Makassed Philanthropic Islamic Association of Beirut medical facility have been subjected to a series of armed assaults.
The attackers included a relative trying to force hospital staff to admit a patient, another angry over a patient’s death in the emergency department, and one person attempting to leave without paying a bill.
In one recent incident, gunmen known to staff threatened emergency room nurses, and forced two doctors to disconnect medical equipment from a patient before removing them from the hospital.
In mid-July, the owner and director of the Doctors’ Hospital in Bekaa, Dr. Khaled Al-Khatib, suffered head injuries and a broken arm after being set upon.
The Syndicate of Hospital Owners said at the time that, “the denunciations and condemnations are no longer sufficient to prevent the recurrence of these incidents in hospitals in all Lebanese regions without control or accountability. This has led to the vulnerability of hospitals and their staff.”
The syndicate called on authorities to provide protection for hospital workers who continued to work despite “difficult living pressures,” and urged stiff penalties on aggressors.
The head of Makassed Philanthropic Islamic Association of Beirut, Faisal Sinno, told Arab News: “We decided to contract with a private security company and stipulated that its members do not use weapons on the hospital campus.
“We sought help from army intelligence, and they pursued the gunmen. We have no choice but to seek the help of the state because we cannot rely on self-security.
“What happens here happens all the time, but we hope now that we don’t face new attacks,” he said.
Sinno added: “One of the gunmen went so far as to enter the hospital and stand infront of the cashier’s office to tell patients’ families that he could get them a discount on the amount due, on the condition that he shared some of what they saved. The gunman forced the cashier to make a discount on the bill.
“The hospital receives about 50 patients a month who need partial or full assistance. We cover the cost of hospitalization for those in actual need through donations made by Lebanese people inside and outside Lebanon.
“The medical and nursing staff are affected by this type of intimidation, and some want to leave the hospital. However, the majority are used to these types of aggressors.
“We have gone through wars and crises, and we have survived. The society in which we live needs our services. We have Lebanese, Syrian, and Palestinian patients. We are trying to adjust.”
Head of the private hospitals syndicate, Suleiman Haroun, noted that there were 130 hospitals in Lebanon, and some had merged in a bid to reduce costs.
He said: “The primary cause of the attacks on hospitals, according to our analysis, is that these gunmen want priority to be given to particular patients. They start screaming and the situation may escalate into beatings and even shooting.
“We cannot do anything with these people. The Internal Security Forces cannot provide security for all hospitals, so we resort to private security. However, we refuse to have armed private security personnel, otherwise, hospitals will turn into battle fronts.
“Most hospitals have begun to rely on male nurses and doctors in emergency rooms at night.”
Lebanon’s grand mufti, Sheikh Abdellatif Derian, visited Makassed hospital after the attacks. He said: “Attacking the dignity of any doctor, nurse, or administrative employee on the hospital campus is an attack on every one of us. Let us ensure the sanctity of our Islamic and national institutions.”
Lebanese hospital hires private security to protect staff after spate of gun attacks
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Lebanese hospital hires private security to protect staff after spate of gun attacks
- Makassed Philanthropic Islamic Association of Beirut medical facility have been subjected to a series of armed assaults
- The attackers included a relative trying to force hospital staff to admit a patient, another angry over a patient’s death in the emergency department
Washington presses Syria to shift from Chinese telecom systems
- Syria is exploring the possibility of procuring Chinese technology
- It was unclear whether the United States pledged financial or logistical support to Syria to do so
DAMASCUS: The United States has warned Syria against relying on Chinese technology in its telecommunications sector, arguing it conflicts with US interests and threatens US national security, according to three sources familiar with the matter.
The message was conveyed during an unreported meeting between a US State Department team and Syrian Communications Minister Abdulsalam Haykal in San Francisco on Tuesday. Washington has been coordinating closely with Damascus since 2024, when Syria’s now President Ahmed Al-Sharaa ousted longtime leader Bashar Assad, who had a strategic partnership with China.
Syria is exploring the possibility of procuring Chinese technology to support its telecommunications towers and the infrastructure of local Internet service providers, according to a Syrian businessman involved in the procurement talks.
“The US side asked for clarity on the ministry’s plans regarding Chinese telecom equipment,” said another source briefed on the talks.
But Syrian officials said infrastructure development projects were time-critical and that Damascus was seeking greater vendor diversity, the source added.
SYRIAN OFFICIALS CITE US EXPORT CONTROLS AS TELECOMS BARRIER
Syria is open to partnering with US firms but the matter was urgent and export controls and “over-compliance” remained an issue, according to person familiar with the meeting in San Francisco.
A US diplomat familiar with the discussions told Reuters that the US State Department “clearly urged Syrians to use American technology or technology from allied countries in the telecoms sector.”
It was unclear whether the United States pledged financial or logistical support to Syria to do so.
Responding to Reuters questions, a US State Department spokesperson said: “We urge countries to prioritize national security and privacy over lower-priced equipment and services in all critical infrastructure procurement. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.”
The spokesperson added that Chinese intelligence and security services “can legally compel Chinese citizens and companies to share sensitive data or grant unauthorized access to their customers’ systems” and promises by Chinese companies to protect customers’ privacy were “entirely inconsistent with China’s own laws and well-established practices.”
China has repeatedly rejected allegations of it using technology for spying purposes.
The Syrian Ministry of telecommunications told Reuters any decisions related to equipment and infrastructure are made “in accordance with national technical and security standards, ensuring data protection and service continuity.”
The ministry said it is also prioritizing the diversification of partnerships and technology sources to serve the national interest.
Syria’s telecom infrastructure has relied heavily on Chinese technology due to US sanctions imposed on successive Assad governments over the civil war that grew from a crackdown on anti-government protests in 2011.
Huawei technology accounts for more than 50 percent of the infrastructure of Syriatel and MTN, the country’s only telecom operators, according to a senior source at one of the companies and documents reviewed by Reuters. Huawei did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Syria is seeking to develop its private telecommunications sector, devastated by 14 years of war, by attracting foreign investment.
In early February, Saudi Arabia’s largest telecom operator, STC, announced it would invest $800 million to “strengthen telecommunications infrastructure and connect Syria regionally and internationally through a fiber-optic network extending over 4,500 kilometers.”
The ministry of telecommunications says that US restrictions “hinder the availability of many American technologies and services in the Syrian market,” emphasizing that it welcomes expanding cooperation with US companies when these restrictions are lifted.
Syria has inadequate telecommunications infrastructure, with network coverage weak outside city centers and connection speeds in many areas barely exceeding a few kilobits per second.
