Lebanon’s Security Authorities Adopt Strict Measures to Curb Violations Committed by Syrians

Notices to close stores in Nabatieh after a raid by the General Security (National News Agency)
Notices to close stores in Nabatieh after a raid by the General Security (National News Agency)
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Lebanon’s Security Authorities Adopt Strict Measures to Curb Violations Committed by Syrians

Notices to close stores in Nabatieh after a raid by the General Security (National News Agency)
Notices to close stores in Nabatieh after a raid by the General Security (National News Agency)

Members of the Lebanese General Security started implementing strict measures and procedures in various regions and villages, in implementation of instructions issued by the Acting Director General of the General Security, Major General Elias Al-Bisari, to address violations related to the Syrian presence in Lebanon.
Security personnel carried out massive campaigns in Beirut, and in various Lebanese regions, during which Syrians were arrested for violating the residency and work system and entering the country illegally, while a large number of illegal shops run by Syrian workers were closed.
The head of the Lebanese Forces Party, Samir Geagea, praised the General Security measures, saying in a post on X social media platform that more efforts should be done in this regard.
Al-Nashra website reported that patrols conducted by the General Security Information Division in the South and the Investigation Division of the Qana General Security Center in the Tyre District carried out a campaign in the region’s villages and towns to “address violations and monitor Syrian workers.”
Meanwhile, the Lebanese Army announced on Friday that during an attempt by its unit, supported by a patrol from the Intelligence Directorate, to arrest a number of smugglers in the Deir Al-Ashayer area in the Bekaa (east of the country), a Syrian national tried to stab one of the unit’s members. The army opened fire at the man, who later succumbed to his injuries after being rushed to a nearby hospital.
The National News Agency (NNA) reported that night guards in the municipality of Jbeil arrested a Syrian gang at dawn on Saturday for smuggling Syrians into Lebanon.
Meanwhile, the head of the Free Patriotic Movement, MP Gebran Bassil, stressed the role of municipalities in addressing the displacement crisis.
Speaking during a conference of municipalities in the Batroun region (northern Lebanon), Bassil pointed to a lack of political decision to deal with the presence of Syrians, due to an “external desire to keep the displaced on our land.”



Syria Unable to Import Wheat or Fuel Due to US Sanctions, Trade Minister Says

Syrian Trade Minister Maher Khalil al-Hasan speaks during an interview with Reuters in Damascus, Syria, January 6 2025. (Reuters)
Syrian Trade Minister Maher Khalil al-Hasan speaks during an interview with Reuters in Damascus, Syria, January 6 2025. (Reuters)
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Syria Unable to Import Wheat or Fuel Due to US Sanctions, Trade Minister Says

Syrian Trade Minister Maher Khalil al-Hasan speaks during an interview with Reuters in Damascus, Syria, January 6 2025. (Reuters)
Syrian Trade Minister Maher Khalil al-Hasan speaks during an interview with Reuters in Damascus, Syria, January 6 2025. (Reuters)

Syria is unable to make deals to import fuel, wheat or other key goods due to strict US sanctions and despite many countries wanting to do so, Syria's new trade minister said.

In an interview with Reuters at his office in Damascus, Maher Khalil al-Hasan said Syria's new ruling administration had managed to scrape together enough wheat and fuel for a few months but the country faces a "catastrophe" if sanctions are not frozen or lifted soon.

Hasan is a member of the new caretaker government set up by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group after it launched a lightning offensive that toppled autocratic President Bashar al-Assad on Dec. 8 after 13 years of civil war.

The sanctions were imposed during Assad's rule, targeting his government and also state institutions such as the central bank.

Russia and Iran, both major backers of the Assad government, previously provided most of Syria's wheat and oil products but both stopped doing so after the opposition factions triumphed and Assad fled to Moscow.

The US is set to announce an easing of restrictions on providing humanitarian aid and other basic services such as electricity to Syria while maintaining its strict sanctions regime, people briefed on the matter told Reuters on Monday.

The exact impact of the expected measures remains to be seen.

The decision by the outgoing Biden administration aims to send a signal of goodwill to Syria's people and its new rulers, and pave the way for improving basic services and living conditions in the war-ravaged country.

Washington wants to see Damascus embark on an inclusive political transition and to cooperate on counterterrorism and other matters.

Hasan told Reuters he was aware of reports that some sanctions may soon be eased or frozen.