Lebanese Army announces arrest of more than 50 Syrians

The Lebanese Army announced Friday via a statement published on the X network the arrest of more than fifty Syrians in an irregular situation on Lebanese territory.

Army patrols conducted searches in Syrian displaced persons camps in Anfeh, Bishmezeen and Amioun, in the Koura district, arresting 31 Syrian nationals. At a checkpoint in Madfoun, in the Batroun district, 18 other Syrians were apprehended by a military unit. Additionally, an intelligence directorate patrol arrested 7 Syrians in Dora, in the Metn.

According to the statement, these arrests were made because the individuals "were moving about in Lebanese territory without legal documents." The army specified that "the people arrested are under investigation under the supervision of the competent judiciary."

The army announced Monday the arrest of 21 people wanted for various offenses, including 19 of Syrian nationality who were arrested in Bouchieh (Metn) for illegal stay in Lebanon.

Thousands of Syrian refugees are expected to return to their country this week, as part of the first U.N.-backed program offering financial incentives for return. This announcement comes as the new Syrian authorities, in power since the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in December, state that "all (Syrian) citizens are welcome" despite the scale of destruction in many areas of the country and persistent concerns about the security situation. Nearly 11,000 people have already registered to carry out their returns this week, while the Lebanese government is expecting "200,000 to 400,000 returns" by the end of the year.

The General Security had announced in May a series of restrictive measures with the aim of "containing and regulating the presence of Syrians in Lebanon." Among them is the tightening of conditions for obtaining or renewing residency permits. The GS thus indicated that it would no longer provide residency permits based on a rental contract or a guarantor, and announced "a change in the conditions for renewing residency permits, notably requiring the provision of a financial guarantee." The Lebanese government had suspended, in 2015, the registration of Syrian refugees with the United Nations High Commissioner for Syrian Refugees.