Lebanon army arrests over 200 people for attempting to flee country by sea

The Lebanese army has arrested over 200 people for attempting to illegally migrate from Lebanon by sea, as many continue to try to flee the country amid a myriad of crises afflicting it.

According to a statement by the Lebanese army on Sunday, it arrested 237 individuals for attempting to travel illegally by sea, including 230 Syrians, five Lebanese and two Palestinians.

As part of those arrests, the army reportedly apprehended 204 of the Syrians while conducting raids in the town of Bebnin and the Arida beach in northern Lebanon. The 26 other Syrians, the five Lebanese and the two Palestinians were also arrested by naval forces and an army unit during the operation, reportedly while the attempted migrants were on board two boats off the coast of the Qoleiat area.

While the Lebanese military did not reveal when the arrests were made or where the migrants were headed, it is thought that they were intending to head to Cyprus, as many others who have migrated from Lebanon by sea have done.

The increasing efflux of people – primarily individuals who are already refugees – from Lebanon in recent years comes at a time when the country has been undergoing a series of crises, including a worsening economic crisis, the authorities’ crackdown and persecution of Syrians and the looming threat of conflict and war.

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