56 Syrians Arrested in Lebanon for Roaming Without Legal Documents

The Lebanese Army announced yesterday, Friday, the arrest of 56 Syrian citizens in various areas of Lebanon for roaming within Lebanese territories without possessing legal identification papers.

The army units, supported by the Intelligence Directorate, carried out raids in Syrian refugee camps in Anfeh, Bsharri, and Amioun in the Koura district, resulting in the arrest of 31 individuals.

The army also detained 18 Syrians at the Mdaoune checkpoint in the Batroun district, in addition to arresting 7 others in the Dora area in the Metn district.

These measures come as part of the Lebanese Army's efforts to regulate the status of Syrian refugees who roam without legal documents. Investigations have been opened with the detainees under the supervision of the competent judiciary.

This development comes amid reports of dissatisfaction in Damascus due to the lack of progress in the file of Syrian detainees in Lebanese prisons. The numbers indicate that there are more than two thousand Syrians detained in Lebanon since 2011, most of them without trials.

On the other hand, the official Syrian television denied the news about Damascus intending to take escalatory actions against Lebanon, affirming that the Syrian government gives top priority to addressing the issue of Syrian detainees through official channels.

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati visited Damascus last April and met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to discuss various issues, including the case of Syrian detainees in Lebanon, in a move considered the first of its kind by a Lebanese official at this level.

Lebanese President Michel Aoun also emphasized his country's keenness to establish good relations with the new Syrian government, expressing his country's interest in maintaining a "state of non-belligerency" in the region.