700 Syrians caught trying to enter Lebanon in past week: army

XINHUA, BEIRUT :

The Lebanese army prevented over the past week about 700 Syrian nationals from illegally entering Lebanon, the Lebanese Army Command said in a statement on Wednesday.

It said that those Syrians were intercepted at the Lebanese-Syrian border on various dates during the past week.

The Lebanese security forces have been trying to crack down on human smuggling in border areas with Syria as the government is facing domestic pressure on the inflow of Syrian refugees.

With an estimated 1.5 million Syrian refugees residing within its borders, Lebanon bears the weight of hosting the largest number of refugees per capita. The large presence of Syrian refugees has put a strain on Lebanon’s resources and created widespread discontent among its citizens.