Army arrests 144 Syrians who entered Lebanon illegally

The Lebanese Army arrested 144 Syrians who entered Lebanon illegally, during raids in the villages of Falougha (Baabda), Bekaata and Semkanieh (Chouf), according to a statement from the military published Tuesday. The army also arrested a Lebanese national, N.M., who was obstructing its work, the statement said, without providing further details.

The army also conducted a raid in the Galerie Semaan area, in Baabda, where it arrested a man wanted for arms trafficking, shooting, making threats and extortion, and confiscated a revolver and ammunition from him. In Kfar Remman (Nabatieh), the military arrested three individuals wanted for shooting and fighting. Weapons and ammunition were confiscated from them as well. It also arrested a man who was driving a stolen car in Ras Osta (Jbeil), following a chase.

The arrested individuals were handed over to the competent authorities.

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 Syrian government, in power since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December, said that "all [Syrian] citizens are welcome" despite widespread destruction in many areas of the country and persistent concerns over the security situation. Nearly 11,000 people have already registered to make the return this week, while the Lebanese government is expecting "200,000 to 400,000 returns" by the end of the year.