On Sunday, an Army unit carried out searches in the Bebnine region of North Lebanon, arresting seven people suspected of involvement in smuggling networks organizing illegal sea crossings. “The people arrested were in possession of weapons and ammunition,” said the Army Command in a statement, stressing that the seven individuals were referred to the judiciary.
These searches come a day after the Internal Security Forces (ISF) arrested more than 200 people on Saturday who were preparing to set sail illegally.
In a press release issued on Sunday, the ISF recalled that as part of the fight against illegal emigration, its units carried out two simultaneous operations Saturday on the Minnieh-Dennieh and Mhammara freeways.
In the first operation, 111 Syrian nationals, including women and children, were arrested. They were on board two pick-up trucks. The group was led by A.F., aged 20. He was accompanied by M.R., 30, and Ch.M., 34, both Lebanese nationals.
In the second operation, 120 Syrians were arrested, according to the ISF. They were also on board two pick-ups, and the group was led by M.B., 37. He was accompanied by T.H., 33, and M.S., 34. The three men are Lebanese.
“What happened at dawn on Saturday was not simply a large-scale arrest operation carried out by the ISF’s intelligence services, but a humanitarian mission in which 231 illegal migrants were rescued,” the statement noted, pointing out that the boats used for this type of journey are not safe, and that dozens of people had already lost their lives trying to flee the country illegally.
