The authorities in Lebanon have deported about fifty Syrians in about two weeks and sent them back to their war-ravaged country, security officials and a humanitarian source said Friday, amid rising anti-Syrian sentiment exacerbated by the economic crisis .

"More than 50 Syrians have been deported by the army in about two weeks," a military official told AFP on condition of anonymity. A security source confirmed this information.

The two sources said, "The Intelligence Directorate in the Lebanese army is handing over the violating detainees to the Land Border Regiment, which is in charge of placing them outside the Lebanese borders."

Commenting on this step, the military official explained that "the detention centers are full," and the other security services refused to receive the Syrian detainees.

Hundreds of thousands of Syrians fled to Lebanon after the outbreak of the civil war in 2011 and the suppression of protests against the regime.

According to the authorities, there are about two million Syrian refugees on Lebanese soil, about 830,000 of whom are registered with the United Nations.

The security and military officials made it clear that the Lebanese authorities did not coordinate their efforts with Damascus. They pointed out that a number of deported refugees returned to Lebanon with the help of smugglers for $100 per person.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees told AFP on Friday that it was "monitoring" the situation, adding that it "continues to call for respect for the principles of international law and to ensure the protection of refugees in Lebanon from refoulement."

Lebanon has previously made several attempts, described as the voluntary return of Syrian citizens to their country. However, human rights organizations consider this return to be forced.

A humanitarian source told AFP that he had noticed an increase in the number of raids launched by the army's intelligence services targeting Syrian citizens in Beirut and the Mount Lebanon region since the beginning of April.

"In the year 2023, at least five raids were launched," the source said, on condition of anonymity. He explained that about 450 Syrians have been arrested, and the deportation of at least 66 Syrians has been confirmed.

Since the regime in Damascus regained control of the majority of Syrian territory, some host countries have sought to expel refugees, citing a relative end to hostilities.

Human rights organizations say some refugees have faced persecution, rejecting the notion that it is safe for them to return.
Among the Syrians deported was a defector from the Syrian army, who had warned that "his life is in danger," a relative told AFP. He had been living in Lebanon since 2014, and he was deported with his wife and two children.
Since 2019, Lebanon has been witnessing an economic crisis that is the worst in modern history, according to the World Bank.