Lebanese Army Foils Attempt to Smuggle 60 Syrians By Sea

 A vessel patrols in the Mediterranean waters. PHOTO: JACK GUEZ / AFP
A vessel patrols in the Mediterranean waters. PHOTO: JACK GUEZ / AFP
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Lebanese Army Foils Attempt to Smuggle 60 Syrians By Sea

 A vessel patrols in the Mediterranean waters. PHOTO: JACK GUEZ / AFP
A vessel patrols in the Mediterranean waters. PHOTO: JACK GUEZ / AFP

The Lebanese Army said Monday it has foiled an attempt to smuggle 60 Syrians by sea from the north of the country.

"A naval force unit stopped a boat detected by radar 10 nautical miles off the city of Tripoli in northern Lebanon on Sunday trying "to smuggle 60 people, 59 Syrians and one Lebanese,” the Army said in a statement.

Their intended destination was not specified but neighboring Cyprus is the most popular sea smuggling route.

The operation came few days after the Internal Security Forces arrested 51 Syrian citizens (39 adult males, 5 adult women, 7 Children) who planned to make the crossing to Cyprus from the coastal town of Anfeh al-Harisha.

Smuggling attempts have been on the rise in Lebanon, especially among Syrian refugees who do not hesitate to take the risky trip and often choose Cyprus as their destination.

Last Saturday, the ISF said it detained Syrians who confessed that they were waiting for a boat to take them from the Anfeh area towards Cyprus, noting that they had paid a smuggler $2,500 each.

The army has said it also stopped another 69 Syrians in the last week of April.

Lebanon, home to more than six million people, is just 160 kilometers from Cyprus.

As well as hosting more than one million refugees from war-torn Syria, Lebanon is grappling with its most severe economic crisis for decades.



US Revokes Foreign Terrorist Designation for Syria's HTS

Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a Ministerial formation of the government of the Syrian Arab Republic, in Damascus, Syria March 29, 2025. (Reuters)
Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a Ministerial formation of the government of the Syrian Arab Republic, in Damascus, Syria March 29, 2025. (Reuters)
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US Revokes Foreign Terrorist Designation for Syria's HTS

Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a Ministerial formation of the government of the Syrian Arab Republic, in Damascus, Syria March 29, 2025. (Reuters)
Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a Ministerial formation of the government of the Syrian Arab Republic, in Damascus, Syria March 29, 2025. (Reuters)

President Donald Trump's administration on Monday revoked the foreign terrorist organization designation for Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, as Washington moves to remove US sanctions on Syria to help the country rebuild following years of a civil war.

In December, opposition factions led by HTS ousted Syria's former president Bashar al-Assad in a lightning offensive. Then-HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa became Syria's president and said he wanted to build an inclusive and democratic Syria.

HTS was previously known as al-Nusra Front when it was al-Qaeda's Syria branch. It broke off ties with al-Qaeda in 2016.

In May, Sharaa met with Trump in Riyadh where, in a major policy shift, the Republican president unexpectedly announced he would lift US sanctions on Syria, prompting Washington to significantly ease its measures.

"This FTO revocation is an important step in fulfilling President Trump’s vision of a stable, unified, and peaceful Syria," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement, adding that the revocation will come into effect on Tuesday.

Last week, Trump signed an executive order terminating US sanctions program on Syria, a move that aims to end the country's isolation from the international financial system.

Syria's foreign ministry told Reuters that the lifting of sanctions on HTS was a "positive step toward correcting a course that previously hindered constructive engagement."

The written statement said Syria hoped the move would "contribute to the removal of remaining restrictions that continue to impact Syrian institutions and officials, and open the door to a rational, sovereign-based approach to international cooperation."

The ministry also said that Sharaa was planning to attend the upcoming United Nations General Assembly in September. The UN Security Council still has sanctions on both HTS and Sharaa himself, which require a Council decision to remove.