Syrians evicted from their homes, at Kfar Dlaqous in the district of Zgharta. (Credit: Michel Hallak/OLJ)
A State Security patrol has sealed off several tents and rooms owned by Lebanese and rented by displaced Syrians in Kfar Dlaqous in the Zgharta district, reports our correspondent in North Lebanon.
These premises have been evacuated and sealed with red wax, in compliance with a decision by the governor of North Lebanon, Ramzi Nohra. A series of warnings had already been sent to Syrians in an irregular situation, asking them to evacuate the premises.
The Syrian refugee issue regained prominence on the Lebanese political scene after the European Union announced a €1 billion aid package for Lebanon in early May. The EU's announcement was made against a backdrop of renewed hostility towards Syrian migrants and displaced persons, following the assassination in April of Pascal Sleiman, a leader of the Christian Lebanese Forces party, by a "gang of Syrian nationals," according to a statement by the Lebanese army. Since then, the authorities have launched a series of measures aimed at restricting the presence of Syrians in the country and opening up the possibility of deporting illegal migrants.