People move through the streets of Tripoli, near the old souks, in northern Lebanon. (Credit: João Sousa/L'Orient Today)
BEIRUT — Caretaker Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi said on Thursday that Syrians who do not have "security reasons" for being in Lebanon cannot stay in the country.
Mawlawi hosted a meeting of governors and heads of security agencies in his Beirut office to discuss the presence of Syrian migrants and refugees in Lebanon, the state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported.
During the meeting, the governors shared with Mawlawi the various issues their municipalities are faced with and "the steps taken to implement the circulars of the Ministry of Interior." Security commanders shared their observations, "stressing their readiness to do what is necessary ... to maintain security."
Tensions between Syrians and Lebanese in the country have surged over recent weeks following the murder of a Lebanese Forces executive for which Syrian nationals were arrested. Lebanese officials regularly call for the repatriation of Syrian refugees, citing security concerns and the pressure of several crises, despite an ongoing war in Syria that continues to threaten Syrians with detention, forced disappearances, and torture.
In the days following the LF politician's murder, Mawlawi told a special meeting of the Central Security Council that "the presence of Syrians in Lebanon, as it exists today, is unacceptable.”
Following Thursday's meeting, the minister said there is a need to "apply Lebanese laws and international treaties, that Lebanon has agreed to, on the issue of Syrian displacement," saying also that Lebanon "cannot tolerate economic displacement."
"In Lebanon, we are not racist, but the established laws must be applied and security ... must be preserved."
He added that "circulars related to housing, work, transactions, and contracts must be applied to protect Syrians through what the Lebanese General Security is doing to study the status of every Syrian present in Lebanon [and to check] whether his presence is legal or not."
Another murder of an elderly man in Azzouniyeh, for which two Syrian nationals were arrested, contributed to further anger and violence toward Syrians in Lebanon. Several videos have surfaced in the last weeks showing Syrians being beaten in the streets. Referring to such incidents, Mawlawi said that "security tensions for any reason" will not be allowed on Lebanese territory.
The minister rejected "self-security" and said that "governors will communicate with municipalities and security agencies to prevent any manifestation of self-security or lawlessness."
"Self-security," in this case, meaning any attempt by political parties or residents to replace existing security agencies in maintaining security in neighborhoods or villages.
"We do not accept attacks on Syrians, nor do we accept that they commit crimes in Lebanon," Mawlawi said.
Around 1.5 million Syrians live in Lebanon, making it the country with the highest refugee population per capita in the world. Some 800,000 of them are registered with the UN. More than 4,000 civilians and combatants were killed in Syria in 2023, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.