Caretaker Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, urged the interior minister for strict enforcement of laws on the Syrian displaced amid spiraling crime rates, during a consultative meeting he chaired at the Grand Serail on Monday.

"With the proliferation of crimes perpetrated by some Syrian displaced, this situation must be firmly addressed by the security apparatuses, and immediate measures must be taken to prevent any criminal act as well as any rejected behavior towards our Syrian brothers whose presence in Lebanon is legal," said Mikati.

At the beginning of the meeting, Mikati said the gathering aimed at discussing the security situation, particularly in south Lebanon, in addition to the displaced file.

"We are meeting together to thoroughly discuss the situation at the security and national levels, and the needed measures to protect social security and to unify Lebanon's stance before the international community regarding the Syrian displaced issue," he said. "Our goal is to face, together, all the challenges," he stressed.

He did not fail to reiterate the necessity of expediting the election of a president of the republic. "We in the government are shouldering our national and societal responsibilities," he said.

On a different note, Mikati underlined that the Israeli attacks on south Lebanon cannot be tolerated. "Israel is dragging the region into war, and the international community must be aware and bring this war to an end," he added.

"Through the contacts we are holding, we see that Lebanon has many friends in the world defending it and exerting every possible pressure on Israel to halt its attacks and prevent the expansion of confrontations," he concluded.