Concern and security warnings are growing in Lebanon about the possible activation of terrorist sleeper cells. The warnings follow an attack on the Church of Saint George in the Jordanian village of Hmoud. The attack took place about ten days before the date of the reports, and it caused casualties, according to Tayyar.org and El Marada, which published their reports on 2 November 2026. The two reports did not specify the number of dead or injured.
According to the two reports, the Jordanian army announced air strikes on positions of terrorist organizations in southern Syria. It said the perpetrators of the church attack belong to those organizations. The two sites reported that this led Lebanese security agencies to heighten their alert for any move by extremist cells that could be based near the Syrian border and operate inside Lebanon.
Lebanese security sources, according to both sites, said the agencies are carrying out pre-emptive operations and intensified monitoring. The sources added that recent reports confirmed the presence of small groups waiting for an opportunity to act. According to these sources, most of the groups are in crowded Syrian and Palestinian camps. The sources did not rule out that these groups might try to undermine security and stability. The two reports did not name these security sources. No direct official confirmation was reported of what was attributed to them, including regarding where these groups are located.
Meanwhile, the same sources stated that the situation is under control across Lebanese territory as a whole, and that the agencies have raised their readiness to the highest levels.
According to the two reports, the Directorate of Intelligence of the Lebanese Army and other security agencies are conducting checks and investigations to detect suspicious movements, along with preventive and precautionary measures.
The two sites also reported that the Directorate General of General Security carried out a series of raids in Tripoli a few days before the date of the reports. The raids led to the seizure of large quantities of explosives, military weapons, ammunition and bombs in the Bab al-Ramel area. Devices used to detonate explosives and a drone were also seized. A number of people were arrested during the raids, including one detainee with links to the Islamic State group, according to the two reports. The two reports did not specify the number of detainees or their identities.
In an analysis presented by the two sites, security concerns are concentrated in the eastern Bekaa border areas. The analysis attributes this to the difficulty of controlling illegal crossings and the overlap of villages and towns, the fragility of the security situation in Syria, and smuggling networks that enable infiltration in exchange for money.