LF leader Samir Geagea. (Credit: National News Agency)
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea asked outgoing Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi on Wednesday to officially confirm that the Lebanese state controls the Lebanese-Syrian border, amid rumors that Syrian nationals close to the ousted Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad are entering Lebanon unchecked.
“Is it true, as some media are reporting, that anarchy reigns at the Masnaa border crossing [in eastern Lebanon]?” he asked. “Is it true that some General Security officers are cooperating with a security group from what's left of Hezbollah to bring members of the mafia from what's left of the Assad regime into Lebanon?” he also questioned in a statement.
The LF leader called on the authorities to communicate on the issue clearly and transparently, whether the facts are true or not, and to confirm state control of the Lebanese-Syrian border. “If this affair [of border lawlessness] is true, it is unacceptable and must come to an end, because the Lebanese people have long suffered from fait accompli policies,” stressed Geagea, calling for "sanctions against anyone who fails to do their duty and assume their responsibilities."
Since the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime on Dec. 8, a major crossroads has been taking place at the Lebanese-Syrian border. Syrian refugees from Lebanon, mainly Sunnis and opponents of the ousted regime, have returned to Syria, while Syrian nationals sympathetic to Bashar al-Assad have sought refuge in Lebanon.
