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Army to take control over Lebanon following the ‘state of emergency’

 All except one in the Lebanon parliament has voted for the military to take over the country in the wake of the deadly Beirut blast on August 5 which killed nearly 200 people and left over 6000 injured.

In its first session after the deadly explosion, the parliament has announced a state of emergency which means extending power to the army in the city. This move has been highly criticised by the human rights groups who think that this can be fatal for the freedom of existence in the country. Earlier a two-week emergency was declared by the cabinet in a session that was hurriedly called on by the President Michel Aoun the day of the explosion but now getting the parliament’s approval makes everything more official.

The Army has the power to impose curfews, ban assemblies and bar the media from coverage if it deems them threatening to national security.  Though it will last until Aug. 21, but can be renewed. The decision made its way due to the unsettling situation in Lebanon and continued protests made it evident that the people are not happy with how the government is dealing with the situation.

The explosion, which has been termed as one of the biggest one’s minus the nuclear blast, was  due to 2,750 tonnes of dangerous chemicals left in storage at Beirut's port for nearly seven years and it is alleged that the government officials knew about it.

The one parliamentarian who opposed this decision of emergency was Osama Saad who said that this will mean ‘militarisation of the state’ which is unhealthy for the freedom of the country. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri responded the army had "not taken steps that people fear, nor suppress television [channels] and despite the chaos in the media it did not intervene and left room for protest", according to local media.

Citing the protests, the Lebanon cabinet had resigned on Monday but the ministers will still act as caretakers till the President appoints a new government. 

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