Reports about the presence of “remnants of the former Syrian regime” in Lebanon have raised concerns that they could destabilize internal security or turn Lebanese territory into a platform for targeting Syria’s security and stability.
Authorities and security agencies have launched a broad campaign to verify these reports as voices across Lebanon warned of the presence of former Syrian officers in certain regions, particularly in the North and Bekaa Valley in the east.
The Lebanese Army Command regularly announces raids and security operations against suspects. The latest such operation was announced on Sunday, when dozens were detained, mostly Syrians, in northern Lebanon and the Bekaa.
In a statement, the Army Command said it carried out operations against wanted suspects, arresting nine Lebanese citizens and 35 Syrians in the regions of Akkar, Tripoli, Batroun, Baalbek and Hermel on charges including opening fire, possession of weapons, drug use, and human smuggling.
The army added that weapons, ammunition, drugs and military equipment were seized, and that investigations had begun under the supervision of the relevant judiciary.
Previously, a number of municipalities in northern Lebanon had issued statements urging security agencies to tighten measures in their areas, saying several former regime members have sought safety in their towns. They also spoke of the daily movement of suspicious vehicles.
Similar warnings have since emerged from the Bekaa. Dar al-Fatwa in Rashaya issued a statement on Sunday calling on the state to take “immediate, swift and decisive action to arrest the remnants of the Syrian regime in Lebanon and return them to Syria for trial.”
MP Wael Abou Faour, a member of the Democratic Gathering bloc, called on “the Lebanese security agencies to fulfill their duties with regard to the large number of officers from the remnants of the regime of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad who are present in Lebanon.”
He stressed that despite the fall of the regime, “Lebanese-Syrian relations are governed by the Taif Agreement, which clearly stipulates that Lebanon must not be a base or a transit point for any attack on Syria’s security, and vice versa.”
“The Lebanese state must therefore act to uncover the truth and arrest officers from the remnants of the regime who are hiding in Lebanon.”
