The Lebanese army announced on Friday that it thwarted a clandestine emigration attempt by sea through its maritime border surveillance and anti-smuggling and illegal immigration unit.

Syrian families, including children, had embarked from Abdeh (Akkar) heading to Cyprus. The boat experienced a technical problem a few kilometers off the coast. An army naval patrol intervened and rescued the boat off Tripoli with 110 people on board, two Lebanese and 108 Syrians.

The Lebanese authorities regularly report the arrest or displacement of Syrians entering the country illegally. They are also trying to combat illegal emigration from Lebanon to Cyprus, the gateway to the European Union.