BEIRUT: The Lebanese army said Thursday it had prevented the entry of around 1,200 Syrian migrants this week, at a time both countries are beset by painful economic woes.
Millions of Syrians have already fled abroad since their country’s civil war broke out in 2011 following the government’s repression of peaceful pro-democracy protests.
Most of them cross the border into Lebanon, which the United Nations says hosts the largest number of refugees per capital in the world.
The Lebanese army said in a statement that it had “prevented around 1,200 Syrians from crossing the Lebanese-Syrian border in the past week.”
It had announced on August 23 that it turned back 700 Syrians attempting to enter the eastern Mediterranean country illegally.
“The Syrian-Lebanese border is porous and the number of soldiers mobilized is not enough,” a security official told AFP.
“Most Syrians come to Lebanon in the hope of finding work, given the unprecedented deterioration in living conditions in their country,” said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the media.
The Syrian government’s repression of demonstrations in 2011 escalated into a civil war that killed more than 500,000 people, ravaged the country’s economy and drove millions into exile.
In the early years of the conflict, Lebanon welcomed hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees, before banning them from its territory in early 2015.
Since then, many Syrians have used smugglers to cross the border and seek a better life in Lebanon or beyond.
Officials in Lebanon say Syrians have again been pushed to flee at a time of protests over dire living conditions, after the government in Damascus scrapped fuel subsidies.
Lebanon, which has been mired in a crippling economic crisis for years, says it hosts nearly two million Syrians. The United Nation has registered almost 830,000 of them.
Lebanon army says blocked entry of 1,200 Syrian migrants
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Lebanon army says blocked entry of 1,200 Syrian migrants
- Lebanon hosts the largest number of refugees per capital in the world
Palestinian health ministry says 4 killed in Israeli West Bank strike
The ministry announced that the Palestinians were killed “as a result of the (Israeli) bombing of a vehicle in Tulkarem camp,” which the Israeli army did not immediately confirm to AFP.
Turkiye, Iran leaders at Muslim summit in Cairo
- Relations between Egypt and Iran have been strained for decades, but diplomatic contacts have intensified since Cairo became a mediator in the war in Gaza
CAIRO: The leaders of Turkiye and Iran were in Egypt on Thursday for a summit of eight Muslim-majority countries, meeting for the first time since the ouster of Syria’s president Bashar Assad.
Turkiye historically backed the opposition to Assad, while Iran supported his rule.
The gathering of the D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation, also known as the Developing-8, was being held against a backdrop of regional turmoil including the conflict in Gaza, a fragile ceasefire in Lebanon and unrest in Syria.
In a speech to the summit, Turkiye’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for unity and reconciliation in Syria, urging “the restoration of Syria’s territorial integrity and unity.”
He also voiced hope for “the establishment of a Syria free of terrorism,” where “all religious sects and ethnic groups live side by side in peace.”
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian urged action to address the crises in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria, saying that it is a “religious, legal and human duty to prevent further harm” to those suffering in these conflict zones.
Pezeshkian, who arrived in Cairo on Wednesday, is the first Iranian president to visit Egypt since Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who visited in 2013.
Relations between Egypt and Iran have been strained for decades, but diplomatic contacts have intensified since Cairo became a mediator in the war in Gaza.
Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi visited Egypt in October, while his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty traveled to Tehran in July to attend Pezeshkian’s inauguration.
Ahead of the summit, the Iranian top diplomat said he hoped it would “send a strong message to the world that the Israeli aggressions and violations in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria” would end “immediately.”
Erdogan was in Egypt earlier this year, and discussed with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi economic cooperation as well as regional conflicts.
Established in 1997, the D-8 aims to foster cooperation among member states, spanning regions from Southeast Asia to Africa.
The organization includes Egypt, Turkiye, Iran, Nigeria, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Malaysia as member states.
Iraq begins repatriating Syrian soldiers amid border security assurances
DUBAI: Iraq has begun the process of returning Syrian soldiers to their home country, according to state media reports on Wednesday.
Lt. Gen. Qais Al-Muhammadawi, deputy commander of joint operations, emphasized the robust security measures in place along Iraq’s borders with Syria.
“Our borders are fortified and completely secure,” he said, declaring that no unauthorized crossings would be permitted.
Muhammadawi said that all border crossings with Syria are under tight control, stating: “We will not allow a terrorist to enter our territory.”
Turkiye won’t halt Syria military activity until Kurd fighters ‘disarm’
ISTANBUL: Turkiye will push ahead with its military preparations until Kurdish fighters “disarm,” a defense ministry source said Thursday as the nation faces an ongoing threat along its border with northern Syria.
“Until the PKK/YPG terrorist organization disarms and its foreign fighters leave Syria, our preparations and measures will continue within the scope of the fight against terrorism,” the source said.
Hamas says Israeli strikes in Yemen ‘dangerous development’
GAZA: Palestinian militant group Hamas said Thursday that Israel’s strikes in Yemen after the Houthi rebels fired a missile at the country were a “dangerous development.”
“We regard this escalation as a dangerous development and an extension of the aggression against our Palestinian people, Syria and the Arab region,” Hamas said in a statement as Israel struck ports and energy infrastructure in Yemen after intercepting a missile attack by the Houthis.
