Syrians arriving in Lebanon at the Masnaa border crossing in the Bekaa Valley on Dec. 9, 2024, a day after the fall of the Assad regime. (Credit: Mohammad Yassin/L'Orient-Le Jour)
General Security, responsible for entry and exit procedures, warned against issuing fake residence permits to Syrians, following the arrest of two Syrian nationals producing counterfeit papers, according to a statement published Monday on X.
"The General Directorate of General Security informs that during the month of May, an investigation was conducted with Syrian Abdel Karim Bassam al-Othman and Syrian Mohammad Manhal Dibo for posting an announcement on social media claiming their ability to provide residence permits to Syrians, which turned out to be entirely falsified," the statement said, explaining that "legal measures have been taken against them."
"The General Directorate of General Security warns against the dangers associated with this type of announcement and urges not to fall victim to acts of forgery," it added.
This statement came in a context of "exceptional" measures and exemptions, in force until July 15, 2025, aimed at facilitating the legal return of Syrian refugees and migrants who were staying in Lebanon legally or illegally, announced last week by Syrian authorities. Such measures are unprecedented since 2011 and the start of the Syrian civil war. In this framework, Syrians who entered Lebanon legally between 2011 and Dec. 1, 2024, but whose residence permits have expired, can leave Lebanon after paying the required fees, and Syrians who entered Lebanon after Dec. 1, 2024, and whose residence permits have expired, will be allowed to leave Lebanese territory and will be exempt from penalty fees.
On June 7, false information circulated about an update on visa fees for entry into Syria, wrongly attributed to the Syrian Interior Ministry, in some reports. The director of local and international relations of the Syrian Authority of Land and Maritime Ports, Mazen Alloush, denied it at the end of the day.
"Any change in visa policies or fees is exclusively announced officially by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," he wrote on X.