A Lebanese army patrol. (Credit: AFP archive photo)
BEIRUT — The Lebanese Army announced on Tuesday that it had prevented an attempt by Syrians to cross into Lebanon and arrested over 290 people suspected of criminal activity in Lebanon in February.
In a report published on X, the army claimed to have turned back around 800 Syrian nationals so far, in their attempt to enter Lebanon through it border with the war-torn country, devastated by over a decade of civil war that has killed around half-a-million Syrians.
The army also claims to have arrested 298 individuals involved in several offenses, including theft, drug trafficking, smuggling, illegal possession of weapons, living in Lebanese territory without a residence permit, and driving cars and motorcycles without legal papers.
The army seized 32 weapons of war, three hand grenades, ammunition, mopeds, narcotics, cell phones and surveillance cameras.
According to official estimates, Lebanon is host to around 1.5 million Syrian refugees, nearly 784,884 of whom are registered with the UN. The fate of these refugees is a regular source of controversy — Lebanon is in the throes of a multifaceted crisis, while in Syria, with whom it shares most of its border, people continue to be displaced and killed by ongoing violence.
In March last year, the Syrian Network for Human Rights released a report stating that 15,275 Syrians had been tortured to death since the start of the conflict.
The Lebanese government, which regularly calls for the repatriation of Syrian refugees, organized "voluntary return" convoys to Syria in 2023, which saw a fraction of people return. Many who have gone back to Syria have been detained by the regime. At the end of January, General Security announced that it had begun preparations to organize new convoys, without however communicating any dates.