The suffering of Syrian refugees in Lebanon… Return to dangerous areas or stay under oppression?
“Opposition civil and political groups in northwest Syria have declared their full readiness to receive Syrian refugees from Lebanon in liberated areas of Syria, following abuses and forced deportations they face in the neighboring country.”
The opposition-held Idlib region’s “Department of Political Affairs” and Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham said Friday they are ready to receive more than two million refugees in Lebanon, threatening to be forcibly deported to regime-held areas. “They urged the Lebanese authorities to return to reason and their humanitarian and moral duties towards civilian refugees in line with international laws and norms that ensure their protection.”
Syrian fear
“They said Syrians were first forced to leave their country, with nearly two million Syrians seeking refuge from prison or death in Lebanon, and now refugees in Lebanon are subjected to systematic verbal and physical violence.” They continued to be victims of the government’s decisions to forcibly deport people that did not take into account the consequences they would face from the al-Assad regime once they returned, London-based Middle East reported.
The groups said they were “fully prepared” to receive refugees in liberated areas of Syria in the north, where the Lebanese authorities’ actions have sparked protests and rallies in the cities of Azaz, al-Bab, and Afrin in Rif Idlib and in the city of Idlib.
“Saif Hammoud, who was displaced from rural Homs to Azaz, said he feared for the lives of his parents and brothers living in a refugee camp in Lebanon’s Baalbek region if they were deported.”
Northwestern Syria is home to tens of thousands of Syrians who have been displaced from across the war-torn country, the London-based newspaper reported.
“In recent weeks, the Lebanese army has cracked down on Syrian refugees across the country, arresting 450 people and deporting more than 60 to Syria, informed sources revealed.”
