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Lebanon: General Security Prepares Mechanism on Return of Syrian Refugees

Syrian refugees prepare to leave Lebanon toward Syrian territory through the Wadi Hamid crossing in Arsal on Oct. 26, 2022. (Getty Images/AFP)
Syrian refugees prepare to leave Lebanon toward Syrian territory through the Wadi Hamid crossing in Arsal on Oct. 26, 2022. (Getty Images/AFP)
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Lebanon: General Security Prepares Mechanism on Return of Syrian Refugees

Syrian refugees prepare to leave Lebanon toward Syrian territory through the Wadi Hamid crossing in Arsal on Oct. 26, 2022. (Getty Images/AFP)
Syrian refugees prepare to leave Lebanon toward Syrian territory through the Wadi Hamid crossing in Arsal on Oct. 26, 2022. (Getty Images/AFP)

Lebanon’s Acting Director General of General Security, Brigadier General Elias Baissari, has exerted efforts to adopt a mechanism for the return of Syrian refugees, sources told Asharq Al-Awsat on Saturday.

On Thursday, Baissari was assigned by caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati to follow up on the issue of returning the displaced Syrians to their country.

According to official data, as many as 540,000 Syrians voluntarily returned to Syria from Lebanon since 2017.

The security sources said that in 2017, Lebanon launched a campaign to deport Syrians who entered illegally.

They said the campaign was based on a decision taken by the Higher Defense Council to start deporting refugees who entered Lebanon illegally.

The sources also pointed out that the recent meeting of the ministerial committee concerned with refugee affairs gave security forces the green light for a broader effort to deport undocumented Syrian nationals.

“The situation is no longer bearable. Lebanon’s prisons no longer accommodate more detainees. Therefore, every Syrian who has no official documents allowing him to stay on Lebanese soil, will be immediately returned to Syria,” the sources confirmed.

In a related development, Lebanese caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib met Saturday with the Deputy Director General and Head of the Middle East and North Africa Department at the Swedish Foreign Ministry, Sophie Baker, requesting an official clarification regarding the statements circulated in videos on social media by Swedish citizen, Kamal al-Labwani, in which he calls on the displaced Syrians in Lebanon to violate Lebanese laws and to take up arms in the country.

The Lebanese Foreign Ministry said it continues to follow up on developments in the case “which impacts national security,” until it obtains the desired clarifications from the concerned authorities.

Meanwhile, the Parliament’s Administration and Justice Committee Chair, MP George Adwan, discussed Saturday with UN Special Coordinator in Lebanon Joanna Wronica the crisis of the Syrian refugees.

Adwan stressed “the need to immediately implement practical steps for their return to their country, and for the international community to cooperate with the Lebanese authorities and provide assistance to the refugees in their country to encourage them to return.”

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Lebanon Plunges into Complete Darkness as Gas Oil Runs out to Fuel Power Plants

An exterior view of the building of the Lebanese Electricity Company "Electricite du Liban", in Beirut, Lebanon, 17 August 2024. (EPA)
An exterior view of the building of the Lebanese Electricity Company "Electricite du Liban", in Beirut, Lebanon, 17 August 2024. (EPA)
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Lebanon Plunges into Complete Darkness as Gas Oil Runs out to Fuel Power Plants

An exterior view of the building of the Lebanese Electricity Company "Electricite du Liban", in Beirut, Lebanon, 17 August 2024. (EPA)
An exterior view of the building of the Lebanese Electricity Company "Electricite du Liban", in Beirut, Lebanon, 17 August 2024. (EPA)

Lebanon officially plunged into complete darkness on Saturday as it ran out of gas oil to run power plants.

The state electricity company, Electricite du Liban (EDL), declared that the Zahrani plant – the last operational station - had run out of fuel, leaving the country without power.

State institutions now have to rely on private generators to keep running.

EDL said power should be restored once the “concerned parties tackle the issue of supplying it with gas oil, whether in line with the agreement with Iraq or through another source.”

Caretaker Energy Minister Walid Fayyad tasked EDL and the Litani River Authority to dedicate their remaining services to ensuring that water supplies keep being provided.

Beirut Rafik Hariri Airport Director Fadi al-Hassan said the facility – Lebanon's sole airport – was running on power provided by generators, hoping the crisis would be resolve swiftly.

Lebanese Forces MP Razi al-Hajj slammed the renewed electricity crisis, saying that billions of dollars have been pumped into the sector to resolve it and the country is yet again in darkness.

In a post on the X platform, he said: “Forty billion have been spent on the sector since 2010. We have been waiting for 24/24 electricity for 40 years.”

He slammed officials for repeatedly resorting to temporary solutions without seeking ones that address the root causes of the crisis.

“The solution is simple: decentralizing the sector. Let the private sector handle production, distribution and tax collection. We have had enough,” he added.

Officials have traded blame over the crisis. The energy minister has blamed the Central Bank for failing to pay Iraq its dues. The bank, meanwhile, has called on parliament to grant it authorization to do so.

MP Sagih Atieh said EDL was the primary culprit for “failing to collect taxes. This is the direct reason for the crisis.” He noted that some institutions have also failed to pay their dues.

Three years ago, Lebanon and Iraq inked an agreement to provide Lebanon with fuel for power generation.

Acting Central Bank Governor Wassim Mansouri has been refusing to transfer funds to pay Lebanon’s part of the deal from the emergency foreign currency reserves, saying such a move requires parliament’s authorization.

EDL doesn’t have the necessary funds to pay Iraq itself.

Economic and financial experts unanimously agree that nearly half of Lebanon’s public debt – a staggering 100 billion dollars – is a result of the electricity sector and efforts to address the chronic power shortages.