Nasrallah Is Criticized for Suggesting Facilitating Migration of Syrian Refugees by Sea to Europe

Syrian refugees are seen at a camp in Lebanon's eastern Bekaa Valley. (Getty Images)
Syrian refugees are seen at a camp in Lebanon's eastern Bekaa Valley. (Getty Images)
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Nasrallah Is Criticized for Suggesting Facilitating Migration of Syrian Refugees by Sea to Europe

Syrian refugees are seen at a camp in Lebanon's eastern Bekaa Valley. (Getty Images)
Syrian refugees are seen at a camp in Lebanon's eastern Bekaa Valley. (Getty Images)

Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah’s suggestion that Lebanon should facilitate the migration of Syrian refugees by sea to Europe has sparked a heated debate in the country given the dangerous implications it may have.

Millions of Syrians have fled abroad since their country's war broke out in 2011 following the government's repression of peaceful pro-democracy protests. Many have crossed the border into Lebanon, which the United Nations says hosts the largest number of refugees per capita in the world.

Lebanon, which has been mired in a crippling economic crisis for more than three years, says it hosts nearly two million Syrians. The United Nation has registered almost 830,000 of them.

Anti-Syrian sentiment has soared in recent months as some officials have sought to blame refugees for the country's woes.

After welcoming hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees in the early years of the conflict, Lebanon banned them from entry in 2015. Since then, many Syrians have used smugglers to cross the border and seek other opportunities in Lebanon or beyond.

Lebanon's own economic collapse has also turned it into a launchpad for would-be migrants, with Lebanese joining Syrian and Palestinian refugees clamoring to leave via dangerous sea routes across the Mediterranean.

Earlier this week, Nasrallah said: “Why stop them [from getting on boats]? When you stop them, they resort to smugglers and have to travel on board these rubber boats. We learn of a new catastrophe at sea every couple of days.”

“Let them travel on ships, not just rubber boats. Syrian refugees must have the opportunity to ride a ship and head to Europe,” he added.

Should the authorities adopt the idea, “it will lead to an inevitable conclusion: The European countries will succumb and come to Beirut and the government to ask the Lebanese what they want in return for ending the migration to Europe,” he explained.

Nasrallah’s suggestion, which may have been intended to unite the Lebanese over the issue, sparked intense criticism among political and legal circles over its possible economic and political implications on Beirut.

Lebanese Forces MP Ghayath Yazbeck slammed Nasrallah’s “reckless and militia behavior.” He said his remarks are aimed at pressuring the caretaker government to in turn pressure the international community to lift the siege on the Syrian regime - Hezbollah’s ally – and kick off the war-torn country’s reconstruction.

Yazbeck told Asharq Al-Awsat that the refugee file is a “massive and deadly burden” on Lebanon and its demographics.

Hezbollah’s demand for unity over some issues is good, but that does not absolve Nasrallah of his partnership with the regime that has caused this migration, he added.

The party controls the Lebanese regions that border Syria and so, it must pressure Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his army to stem the flow of refugees because quite simply, this task is beyond the Lebanese army, he continued.

Moreover, he said the caretaker government is also responsible for this file because it is comprised of forces that are loyal to Hezbollah, which is also part of the cabinet.

So, Nasrallah is “60 percent responsible for this crisis and his statements are useless,” concluded Yazbeck.

“The only remarks we will accept are his call for national unity as his assessment of the situation is unrealistic,” he noted.

“We are not vindicating the international community of the situation we have reached, but suggesting that refugees should be sent to Europe is the talk of militias and rogue states,” the MP said.

“This is the source of our objections to Assad’s behavior and Lebanon cannot tolerate the consequences of such a decision. Rather, diplomatic and political pressure needs to be applied on the United Nations and international community to help us reach a solution and this is what the LF is doing,” he stated.

On the legal level, Dr. Paul Morcos, founder and manager of JUSTICIABeirutConsult, warned that Nasrallah’s suggestion, if implemented, could force the international community to impose an economic and diplomatic boycott of Lebanon.

He told Asharq Al-Awsat that should Lebanon allow the refugees to head to Europe by sea, the European countries, specifically those on the Mediterranean, could approach the issue from a diplomatic and political angle.

They may take a more severe approach and impose trade and financial restrictions on Beirut, summon their ambassadors from Lebanon and possibly even sever diplomatic relations, effectively boycotting the country, he went on to say.

A third option would be for Europe to turn to the UN Security Council to issue a resolution under Chapter 7 that would allow an economic siege of Lebanon and possible even military action against it, he warned.

Morcos speculated that the Europeans may resort to the first option that would not lead to a boycott with Lebanon. Perhaps this will prompt Lebanese authorities to take serious action to return the refugees back to their home.



US Will Keep Hitting Houthis until Shipping Attacks Stop, Hegseth Says

This grab from footage shared by the US Central Command (CENTCOM) on March 15, 2025 shows a US Air Force F/A-18 fighter aircraft taking off from an aircraft carrier at sea reportedly amidst operations launched against Houthis in Yemen. (DVIDS / AFP)
This grab from footage shared by the US Central Command (CENTCOM) on March 15, 2025 shows a US Air Force F/A-18 fighter aircraft taking off from an aircraft carrier at sea reportedly amidst operations launched against Houthis in Yemen. (DVIDS / AFP)
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US Will Keep Hitting Houthis until Shipping Attacks Stop, Hegseth Says

This grab from footage shared by the US Central Command (CENTCOM) on March 15, 2025 shows a US Air Force F/A-18 fighter aircraft taking off from an aircraft carrier at sea reportedly amidst operations launched against Houthis in Yemen. (DVIDS / AFP)
This grab from footage shared by the US Central Command (CENTCOM) on March 15, 2025 shows a US Air Force F/A-18 fighter aircraft taking off from an aircraft carrier at sea reportedly amidst operations launched against Houthis in Yemen. (DVIDS / AFP)

The United States will keep attacking Yemen's Houthi until they end attacks on shipping, the US defense secretary said on Sunday, as the Iran-aligned militias signaled they could escalate in response to deadly US strikes the day before.

The airstrikes, which killed at least 31 people, are the biggest US military operation in the Middle East since President Donald Trump took office in January. One US official told Reuters the campaign might continue for weeks.

The Houthi political bureau described the attacks as a "war crime" and said Houthi forces were ready to "meet escalation with escalation", while Moscow urged Washington to cease the strikes.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Fox News: "The minute the Houthis say we'll stop shooting at your ships, we'll stop shooting at your drones, this campaign will end, but until then it will be unrelenting."

"This is about stopping the shooting at assets ... in that critical waterway, to reopen freedom of navigation, which is a core national interest of the United States, and Iran has been enabling the Houthis for far too long," he said. "They better back off."

The Houthis, who have taken control of several regions of Yemen over the past decade, said last week they would resume attacks on Israeli ships passing through the Red Sea if Israel did not lift a block on aid entering Gaza.

They had launched scores of attacks on shipping after Israel's war with Hamas began in late 2023, saying they were acting in solidarity with Gaza's Palestinians.

Trump also told Iran, the Houthis' main backer, to stop supporting the militias immediately. He said if Iran threatened the United States, "America will hold you fully accountable and, we won't be nice about it!"

IRAN WARNS US NOT TO ESCALATE

In response, Hossein Salami, the top commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, said the Houthis took their own decisions.

"We warn our enemies that Iran will respond decisively and destructively if they carry out their threats," he told state media.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told CBS News' "Face the Nation" program: "There's no way the ... Houthis would have the ability to do this kind of thing unless they had support from Iran. And so this was a message to Iran: don't keep supporting them, because then you will also be responsible for what they are doing in attacking Navy ships and attacking global shipping."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called Rubio to urge an "immediate cessation of the use of force and the importance for all sides to engage in political dialogue", Moscow said.

Trump has been pressing Russia to sign a US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in its war with Ukraine, which Kyiv accepted last week, but Moscow has said needs to be reworked.

Trump is also increasing sanctions pressure, and hoping to enlist Russian help, to try to bring Tehran to the negotiating table over its nuclear program.

Most of the 31 people confirmed killed in the US strikes were women and children, said Anees al-Asbahi, spokesperson for the Houthi-run health ministry. More than 100 were injured.

Residents in Sanaa said the strikes hit a neighborhood known to host several members of the Houthi leadership.

"The explosions were violent and shook the neighborhood like an earthquake. They terrified our women and children," said one of the residents, who gave his name as Abdullah Yahia.

In Sanaa, a crane and bulldozer were used to remove debris at one site and people used their bare hands to pick through the rubble. At a hospital, medics treated the injured, including children, and the bodies of several casualties were placed in a yard, wrapped in plastic sheets, Reuters footage showed.

Strikes also targeted Houthi military sites in the city of Taiz, two witnesses said on Sunday.

HOUTHIS' RED SEA ATTACKS DISRUPT GLOBAL TRADE ROUTE

Another strike, on a power station in the town of Dahyan, led to a power cut, Al-Masirah TV reported early on Sunday. Dahyan is where Abdul Malik al-Houthi, the leader of the Houthis, often meets visitors.

The Houthi attacks on shipping have disrupted global commerce and set the US military off on a costly campaign to intercept missiles and drones.

The militants suspended their campaign when Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire in Gaza in January.

But on March 12, the Houthis said their threat to attack Israeli ships would remain in effect until Israel reapproved the delivery of aid and food into Gaza.

Joe Biden's previous US administration had also sought to degrade the Houthis' strike power. But US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Trump had authorized a more aggressive approach.

The US military's Central Command described Saturday's strikes as the start of a large-scale operation across Yemen.

The strikes were carried out in part by fighter aircraft from the aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman in the Red Sea, officials said.

Iran condemned the strikes as a "gross violation" of the UN Charter and international law.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said the US government had "no authority, or business, dictating Iranian foreign policy".