Lebanese soldiers. (Credit: AFP/File photo)
BEIRUT – The Lebanese army announced on Tuesday that it had prevented "around 600 Syrians" from crossing into Lebanon from the Lebanese-Syrian border over the past month, the military reported on its website, in a statement relayed on X (formerly Twitter). The text states that this is "part of the fight against human trafficking and illegal infiltration" into Lebanese territory via Syria.
The army gave no further details on the operations carried out in this context.
The presence of Syrian nationals in Lebanon remains a hot topic in the country and was making local headlines prior to the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas on Oct. 7.
While the majority of the political class is calling for Syrians to return home, several NGOs and humanitarian organizations believe that Syria is not sufficiently secure to allow migrants to return safely.
The Lebanese army regularly makes announcements of this kind; in early September, for example, it stated that it had prevented 1,100 Syrians from entering Lebanon illegally in the space of a week. At the end of August, it had also announced that it had prevented 850 Syrians from entering Lebanon illegally in the space of a week.
In mid-November, State Security agents had dismantled a makeshift camp built by Syrian nationals near Tyre and evicted those occupying it. The order to dismantle the camp had been given by the General Financial Prosecutor, Ali Ibrahim.