BAABDA, Lebanon: The Higher Defense Council agreed to tighten security measures across Lebanon during an extraordinary meeting Friday.

A statement issued by the council after the meeting said the conferees agreed to “tighten security measures to bolster civil peace and prevent any breaches or tampering [with security], in addition to [putting] an emphasis on preventing arms smuggling.”

The Council also agreed to “strengthen” cooperation with the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon and “protect their travel [plans] in Lebanon.”

The meeting, held at the Presidential Palace in Baabda, east of Beirut, under President Michel Sleiman, follows a series of security incidents in the country. Two were killed Thursday in Antelias, north of Beirut when a bomb they were handling exploded, and a mysterious explosion in Beirut’s southern suburbs two weeks ago left one person seriously wounded.

In late July a roadside bomb in Sidon, south Lebanon, wounded five French UNIFIL peacekeepers.

The meeting was called by Sleiman to take “appropriate measures in line with the Cabinet’s policy to defend and maintain security,” after he voiced fears Thursday that the current popular upheavals in the region would impact the internal security situation in Lebanon, according to a statement read to reporters by Information Minister Walid Daouk after the meeting.

The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Najib Mikati as well as Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour, Interior Minister Marwan Charbel, Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn, Finance Minister Mohammad Safadi, Economy Minister Nicolas Nahhas and Minister of Social Affairs Wael Abu Faour.

Also present were Lebanon’s top security and military commanders, including Army Commander Gen. Jean Kahwaji and Police Chief Maj. Gen. Ashraf Rifi.

Shortly before heading into the meeting, Charbel told a local radio station that the talks would “tackle several issues, including the Antelias explosion.”

“The security situation in Lebanon is good. But we know that Lebanon is influenced by what is going on around it in the region,” Charbel said.

Charbel said the Antelias explosion was the result of a personal dispute over financial matters.–  Additional reporting by Rima S. Aboulmona.