The General Directorate of State Security announced the implementation of a massive campaign against illegal electrical generators in the cities of Tripoli and Al-Mina, which resulted in the confiscation of 10 generators and the issuance of dozens of arrest reports against violators, in addition to the arrest of a person after one of the generator owners refused to hand over his generator to the municipality.
The General Directorate of State Security – Department of Information, Guidance and Public Relations said in a statement that the operation came as a continuation of its ongoing efforts to protect economic security and prosecute violations of owners of electric generators, and based on a reference from the Public Prosecution of Appeal in the North.
She explained that the Northern Regional Directorate of State Security, with the support of the Special Operations Directorate and in coordination with the Ministry of Economy, carried out inspections of electrical generators in the cities of Tripoli and Al-Mina on August 12 and 14, 2026.
As a result of the campaign, State Security confiscated 8 electrical generators for the Tripoli Municipality, in addition to two generators for the Mina Municipality.
The relevant agencies also issued dozens of arrest reports against owners of violating generators, and the violations varied between failure to adhere to the official pricing issued by the Ministry of Energy and Water, and failure to install meters for subscribers who wish to do so.
The minutes also included violations related to invoices and the method of calculating them, in addition to the use of foreign currency in pricing.
The campaign was not limited to organizing reports and confiscations, as State Security reported that after the so-called (A.M.), one of the owners of the electric generators, refused to hand over the generator to the municipality, a force from the directorate raided his office.
The raid resulted in the arrest of the so-called (M.H.), responsible for issuing invoices, while the necessary legal measures were taken against those concerned based on the reference of the competent judiciary.
The move comes as the private generator file continues to constitute one of the most prominent livelihood files in Lebanon, after these generators turned during the years of the electricity crisis into a primary source of energy for a wide segment of citizens and institutions, especially during the long hours of rationing.
As reliance on it expanded, the Ministry of Energy and Water imposed a monthly mechanism to determine tariffs, while the Ministry of Economy and regulatory agencies stressed the need to adhere to official meters and pricing and issue clear invoices to subscribers.
The aim of obligating generator owners to install meters is to calculate each subscriber’s consumption separately instead of imposing lump sums, allowing the value of the bill to be linked to the amount of actual consumption according to the officially determined tariff.
As for the confiscation of generators for the benefit of municipalities, it represents an escalation in the measures taken against violators compared to simply organizing seizure reports, and comes within the framework of an attempt by local authorities and competent agencies to enforce compliance with the approved rules and protect subscribers from violations.
The campaign in Tripoli and the port gains additional importance given the size of the population density and the heavy reliance on private generators to secure electricity, which makes any violation in pricing or meters directly reflected in the bills of a large number of families.
State Security confirmed that legal measures had been taken against those concerned with the reference of the competent judiciary, in a message indicating the continued prosecution of violations in the generator sector and that the campaign should not be limited to field inspections.
