Members of Lebanon's State Security. (Credit: NNA)
BEIRUT — State Security patrols on Thursday began implementing the April 17 decision by North Lebanon's governor that Syrians who do not meet the "legal" conditions for displacement, work, or residence in Lebanon will be expelled from their homes, according to a statement from the General Directorate of State Security, published by the state-run National News Agency (NNA).
This decision was allegedly in response to an escalation of "security incidents involving Syrian refugees in some areas in the North," but also comes amid rising vigilante violence against Syrians and calls by politicians for their immediate repatriation, despite the serious risks to doing so.
Patrols have begun going door-to-door to inspect residents' papers. The North Lebanon Governorate did not specify where the displaced Syrian population is meant to go following their eviction.
Syrians in the northern towns of Kfeifan, Kouba, and Boustane al-Aassi were notified that they must evacuate their homes within two days.
"These measures, pursued to their conclusion, are an implementation of government decisions, Central Security Council, and governors in various Lebanese regions," the statement reads.
On April 17, North Lebanon Governor Ramzi Nohra issued a directive requesting the State Security to evict Syrian nationals from three properties located in the northern village Boustane al-Aassi within a deadline of 15 days.
The areas set for expulsion are home to many Syrian nationals "believed to be living illegally," according to L'Orient Today's correspondent in the region.
"Failure to comply will result in sealing the properties with red wax," the governor said. When a property is sealed with red wax in Lebanon, it becomes illegal for individuals to access it without official approval from the state security services.
Nohra had also issued a directive requesting municipalities and mayors to "monitor the movements of Syrian refugees and take necessary immediate actions to remove all encroachments and violations on public and private properties."
So far, the decision to enforce the eviction notices has not caused a significant shift in the atmosphere in the North, our correspondent reports.
Lebanese politicians of all stripes regularly call for the immediate repatriation of Syrian refugees, whom they blame for Lebanon's economic crisis. They assert that the current conditions in Syria allow for such a return, while the UN and other rights groups warn that this is not the case.
According to the authorities, around 1.5 million Syrians reside in Lebanon, making it the country with the highest refugee population per capita globally.
Approximately 800,000 are registered with the United Nations, although the exact figure remains uncertain.
In 2015, the Lebanese government halted UNHCR registration efforts, complicating efforts to track the migrant population.
On Wednesday, caretaker Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi announced that “the Directorate General of General Security has received the data needed to determine the number of Syrian refugees.”
Caretaker Mikati blamed the presence of Syrian refugees for Lebanon's "high crime rate," which he said is increasing "due to the crises the country has been facing, causing prison overcrowding that exceeds the capabilities of the Lebanese authorities." Similar such claims have been made by Lebanese politicians, without providing evidence to support them.
Reporting contributed by Michel Hallak