On Saturday, the Lebanese military carried out a rescue operation to save 27 Syrian migrants from drowning after their rubber boat capsized off the northern coast of Lebanon, as reported by the armed forces.
The navy, in collaboration with civil defense, successfully rescued these 27 individuals who were aboard a sinking rubber boat near the Chekka coast, according to an official statement issued by the army.
A military source, speaking anonymously due to press restrictions, confirmed that all the rescued migrants were of Syrian nationality.
Migrants attempting to reach Europe from Lebanon usually set their sights on Cyprus, an East Mediterranean island located 175 kilometers (110 miles) away.
In a related development on the same day, security forces apprehended a Lebanese human smuggler along with 42 Syrian nationals who were found in a vehicle “packed with a significant number of Syrians.” The driver admitted to planning to smuggle them to Cyprus by boat.
During interrogations, the migrants revealed that they paid money ranging from $5,000 to $7,000 per person to reach Europe via Cyprus.
An anonymous source within the security sector stated that they have made efforts to intercept migrants on land before they embark on perilous sea journeys, echoing the sentiment due to press constraints.
The Lebanese military recently disclosed that it thwarted approximately 1,000 illegal crossings along Lebanon’s porous border with Syria during the week.
Lebanon’s economic collapse in late 2019 has turned the country into a departure point for migrants, including Lebanese, Syrians, and Palestinian refugees, who undertake dangerous journeys toward Europe.
Beirut’s authorities estimate that around two million Syrians currently reside in Lebanon, with more than 800,000 of them registered with the United Nations, representing the highest number of refugees per capita globally.
