Lebanon concerned over rising Syrian refugees

BEIRUT, Lebanon

Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Tuesday voiced concern over the rising numbers of Syrian refugees in the country.

Mikati met with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the sidelines of the meetings of the 78th annual session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

“Lebanon is concerned about the increasing numbers of displaced Syrians,” Mikati said during the meeting as cited by a statement issued by his office.

“Lebanon is unable to bear more refugees amid the current severe economic crisis,” he added.

Lebanon hosts around 1.8 million Syrian refugees, about 900,000 of whom are registered with the UN refugee agency UNHCR.

Mikati thanked the UN for “its support for Lebanon” and called on the international organization to back Lebanese efforts to halt Israeli violations of the country’s sovereignty.

Lebanon and Israel share a border line known as the Blue Line. It was set by the United Nations between the two countries following the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000.

Guterres, for his part, reaffirmed the “UN’s continued commitment to supporting the Lebanese people.”

According to the statement, Guterres said he "will work with donor countries to increase support for the poorest families in Lebanon and resolve the refugee crisis."

Lebanon has been facing a crippling economic crisis since 2019, that, according to the World Bank, is one of the worst the world has seen in modern times.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi