The "National Coalition for the Return of Syrian Displaced Persons" held its first meeting in the office of the Minister of the Displaced in the caretaker government, Issam Sharaf al-Din. A statement from the coalition indicated that the attendees discussed all the challenges surrounding this national file and the serious repercussions it entails, emphasizing the necessity of quickly finding radical solutions. It was noted that "Engineer Abdullah Risha was unanimously appointed as the Secretary-General of the National Coalition."
The attendees issued a direct and urgent call to the Central Security Council to convene immediately in light of the recent events involving a large influx of Syrian displaced persons entering Lebanon illegally. They urged the Minister of Interior and Municipalities in the caretaker government, Bassam Mawlawi, in his capacity as head of the Central Security Council, to hold everyone accountable and to take all necessary measures from each agency to ensure the cessation of this assault on Lebanon.
In a parallel line, the Minister of Defense in the caretaker government, Maurice Salim, met with the Minister of the Displaced, Issam Sharaf al-Din, in his office in Yarzeh. They discussed the general conditions in the country, particularly the new Syrian displacement to Lebanon occurring over the past three weeks through illegal crossings, and the importance of being vigilant against this issue and curbing it through border monitoring and coordination among relevant security and administrative institutions to control this matter. Minister Salim confirmed that army units are making significant efforts to tackle this phenomenon and have managed in recent weeks to prevent hundreds of Syrians from entering Lebanese territory through illegal crossings.
