Aoun during meeting with UN envoy: Syrian refugee issue is top priority for Lebanon

BEIRUT — President Joseph Aoun said that the issue of Syrian refugees is a top priority for Lebanon and that the country discussed their situation with the Syrian leadership, especially after Washington lifted sanctions on Damascus. The head of state made the statement during a meeting in the Baabda Palace on Thursday with U.N. Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen and U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert.

According to the state-run National News Agency (NNA), during the meeting, Pedersen briefed Aoun on the situation in Syria and the work the U.N. is doing there. The conversation also covered the situation on the Lebanese-Syrian border and Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

Meanwhile, the president emphasized that the issue of Syrian refugees is a priority in Lebanon's concerns, and that Lebanon discussed their situation with the Syrian leadership, especially after Washington lifted sanctions on Damascus, which constitutes an "entry point for the return of refugees with the revival of the Syrian economy."

The majority of the estimated 1.5 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon fled during the 13-year Syrian Civil War that resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of people. Since the ouster of dictator Bashar al-Assad in December by a coalition of Islamist-led opposition forces, hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees have returned home, with about 400,000 of them coming from neighboring countries, including Lebanon. However, since March, thousands of Syrians have fled to Lebanon, following massacres committed against the Alawite community in Syria in March.

Aoun also presented the results of the contacts made with the new Syrian leadership, whether through meetings with Syrian interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa or through Prime Minister Nawaf Salam's visit to Syria and the meetings of ministerial committees and military delegations that discussed the coordination of security measures and the situation on the border.

Aoun added that the border between the two countries is calm, and the incidents that occurred in the previous period have been addressed. 

In recent months, Syria and Lebanon engaged in discussions on delineating the land border between the two countries, which is porous and open to trafficking. Clashes, reportedly related to a smuggling operation, occurred in recent months between Syrian security forces and Lebanese members of “Shiite clans” living near the border. 

As for Lebanon's southern border, Aoun explained to Pedersen the measures taken by the Lebanese Army to deploy south of the Litani River in implementation of Resolution 1701, noting that Israel's failure to withdraw from the five hills it still occupies, the continuation of hostilities against Lebanon and the unresolved issue of Lebanese prisoners in Israel hinder the completion of the army's deployment to the border.

Finally, Aoun explained that he is continuing his contacts with Arab and international parties to pressure Israel to implement the terms of the cease-fire agreement, thus allowing the Lebanese Army to fulfill its mission to deploy to the entire southern border.

Despite a cease-fire agreement reached in November 2024, following more than 13 months of war between Hezbollah and Israel, the latter carries out near-daily strikes in southern Lebanon and continues to occupy five areas within Lebanese territory.