Lebanese army raids Syrian refugee camps in Arsal, dozens arrested

(Zaman Al Wasl)- Lebanese army on Monday raided Syrian refugee camps in the border town of Arsal, in a major security campaign tracking people claimed they have links with the jihadist groups, activists said.

At least 15 camps in the Arnab Valley were raided where about 10,000 refugees had endured to excessive inspection. The Lebanese authorities say the campaign is in search of "wanted persons".

Eyewitnesses told Zaman al-Wasl reporter that tens of men in the camps were arrested. Also their cars and motorcycles have been confiscated.

Lebanese President Michel Aoun on Friday urged the international community to provide humanitarian aid to help Syrian refugees return to their homes., according to Anadolu Agency

Aoun made the appeal at a reception held in Beirut for a visiting French parliamentary delegation.

“The vast majority of displaced Syrians were forced to leave their country due to the fighting,” he said.

“But with the recent cessation of hostilities, they should now be able to return to their homes,” he added.

About 5,000 refugees have gone home from Lebanon this year; most of the refugees are from the western Qalamoun region, after the Lebanese security ensured the safe transfer of the refugees from Arsal to the Lebanese-Syrian border.

The Lebanese General Security has established centers to register refugees after outlining conditions for returnees who are in violation of residency requirements, including lifetime bans on many refugees returning to Lebanon, the Lebanese Daily Star reported.

Aoun went on to point out that, since 2011, Lebanon had taken in huge numbers of Syrian refugees, which, he said, had had adverse effects on the country’s economy, security and social fabric.

Lebanon, he asserted, “can’t wait until a political solution is reached in Syria before the refugees are allowed back home”.

In coordination with the Syrian regime, Lebanon in recent months has been encouraging the voluntary repatriation of Syrian refugees.

Beirut estimates the number of Syrian refugees still in the country at some 1.5 million, although the UN puts the number at less than one million.

Zaman Al Wasl