The Minister of Social Affairs in the caretaker government, Hector Hajj, revealed that his ministry monitors daily all details related to the Syrian displacement, particularly with the rise in illegal smuggling across the northern and eastern borders, coinciding with Lebanon's focus on security events in the south.
In an interview with Sputnik radio, he confirmed that the possibility of securing the borders increases, especially with the arrival of winter and the onset of rain and snow, which would hinder smugglers from continuing their illegal activities of moving Syrians through unauthorized crossings into Lebanon, thereby facilitating the Lebanese Army's mission to secure and patrol the borders.
Minister Hajj explained that he is working in cooperation with the International Organization for Migration and Lebanese security agencies to alleviate the exploitation of the difficult economic and living conditions of the people by smuggling networks. He announced that a group of employees in the Ministry of Social Affairs is being trained for monitoring and support to empower individuals at risk of exploitation and to protect them from smugglers.
Hajj emphasized that "Lebanon has not entered the war in a tangible way, but it is in a state of anticipation, and the conflict is expanding in the south; thus, Syrians will not be safe in Lebanon." He warned the Western community against continuing a unilateral policy to keep Syrian refugees in Lebanon, as they could end up in Europe, and all measures would lead to no results. He urged European countries to cooperate with Lebanon and think of solutions for economic refugees as well as refugees due to the war, stressing that there is no alternative to objective political dialogue on this issue.
Hajj reiterated that "the problem is not with the Lebanese government, which is united on solving the displacement issue, but the core problem lies in the European-American decision. There is no solution for the international community and organizations except through dialogue, as the number of Syrian refugees in Europe and Germany is increasing."
