The Lebanese army announced that it had detained 139 Syrians at Lebanon’s northern border with Syria for allegedly entering Lebanese territory illegally, during a security operation on Friday, October 30.
In a statement issued by its Directorate of Orientation, the Lebanese Army Command said a military unit had detained the Syrians at the northern border.
The army did not specify the border locations where the arrests took place or the circumstances of their entry into Lebanon. It also did not say whether they had entered as one group or in separate groups, or provide details about their legal status or the measures taken against them after their detention.
186 Syrians Detained in Earlier Security Operations
The operation follows security measures the Lebanese army announced in recent weeks, which included detaining Syrians in border areas and elsewhere in the country for irregular entry or traveling without legal documents.
On October 20, the army announced that it had detained 186 Syrians during security operations in several Lebanese areas, including Chadra, Dabbabiyeh, and Akroum in Akkar, Deir Ammar in Minieh-Danniyeh, and Madfoun in Batroun, among other locations.
The army’s statement said that 171 of those Syrians had been detained for entering Lebanese territory illegally or traveling without legal documents, while the remaining arrests involved other security cases.
The statement also reported the arrest of a Lebanese citizen at the Chadra checkpoint in Akkar on suspicion of smuggling 15 Syrians into Lebanese territory.
On October 16, the army announced that it had detained 41 Syrians during security operations across several areas. Some were detained for irregular entry, while others were detained for traveling within Lebanon without legal documents.
Lebanon Detains Syrians on Kidnapping and Human Smuggling Allegations
Previously, on Sunday, August 30, the Lebanese army announced that an Intelligence Directorate patrol had freed a kidnapped person in Amchit, in the Jbeil district, following surveillance and security monitoring. It said seven people involved in the kidnapping had been arrested.
The army said that, following the operation, another Intelligence Directorate patrol raided a residential compound in Bwar, in the Keserwan district, and detained 12 Syrians, including three women, for traveling within Lebanese territory without legal documents.
According to the army, preliminary investigations indicated that the detainees formed two gangs involved in human smuggling, while the women were also allegedly involved in offenses against public morals.
It said the kidnapping stemmed from financial disputes between smugglers, adding that the relevant judicial authorities had begun investigating the detainees.
Syria’s Justice Ministry Releases 57 Detainees
Syria’s Justice Ministry had announced the release of 57 Syrian detainees held in prisons in Damascus and Homs (central Syria) who had been transferred from Lebanon to Syria.
In a statement on Wednesday, October 28, the ministry said the Public Prosecution had begun release procedures for detainees covered by Lebanon’s general amnesty law.
According to the ministry, the measures were part of the implementation of the prisoner transfer agreement signed between Syria and Lebanon, as well as ongoing efforts to follow up on the situation of Syrians detained abroad.
Judge Namour Ahmad al-Nemer said the ministry had received a letter from Lebanon’s public prosecutor at the Court of Cassation containing a list of detainees transferred from Lebanon.
Lebanon’s Constitutional Council upheld the amnesty law on October 12 after rejecting a challenge filed by lawmakers from the Strong Lebanon parliamentary bloc, led by Gebran Bassil.
However, the council’s ruling did not allow all the law’s provisions to take effect. It struck down parts of some provisions and imposed binding interpretations on others.