A gruelling, four-year-long economic collapse, widely blamed on the governing elite, has left Lebanon ill-prepared for a possible war, and volunteers and local authorities are scrambling to fill the gap with limited means,, AFP reports.

“We are the first line of defence, yet we have no equipment to protect ourselves,” Anis Abla, who heads the civil defence in south Lebanon’s Marjayoun area, told AFP from his office, a container located less than 10 kilometres (six miles) from the Israeli border.

“If war erupts, we might not be able to secure enough water for our trucks or other basics like food,” he added.