Lebanese Army soldiers. (Credit: AFP file)
BEIRUT — The Lebanese Army detained dozens of Syrian men Thursday morning in Mansourieh near Beirut after an alleged dispute between them the previous night, an army spokesperson told L'Orient Today.
“The army intervened this morning after a fight had broken out last night between a large group of Syrian refugees and detained a number of them,” a Lebanese Army spokesperson said on condition of anonymity.
It was not clear Thursday afternoon whether the men had been released.
Photos circulating on social media networks appeared to show the army detaining dozens of men and checking the identification papers of others.
“Around 160 Syrians got into a big fight among each other last night [Wednesday] over a personal dispute and today [Thursday] morning the Lebanese army intervened,” the head of the Mansourieh municipality, William Khoury, told L’Orient Today
Khoury said it was unclear why the alleged fight broke out. “We only want them to leave,” Khoury said.
Anti-Syrian sentiment in Lebanon has been on the rise amid increased calls by politicians to deport refugees to Syria.
UNHCR, the UN's refugee agency, was not immediately available for comment Thursday.
At the end of April, cabinet ministers tasked various ministries with implementing restrictions on Syrian refugees in Lebanon and gave a one-week deadline for UNHCR to provide data on displaced Syrians. UNHCR did not submit those numbers.
Caretaker Justice Minister Henri Khoury was also asked in April to negotiate the “immediate” deportation of Syrian detainees.
Dozens of displaced Syrian nationals have been deported since the start of April amid aggressive policing of the refugee community in Lebanon.