Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency says the army has rescued more than 100 migrants after their boat faced technical problems in the Mediterranean off the coast of the northern city of TripoliIn this photo released by the Lebanese Army official website, a Lebanese army vessel rescues migrants in the Mediterranean Sea, near the shores of Tripoli, north Lebanon, Friday, Oct. 6, 2023. L…
The agency said the boat that was carrying 125 people, all of them Syrians except for one Lebanese, called for help after they faced problems while near the Palm Islands in Lebanese territorial waters. The boat was towed to the Lebanese port of Tripoli where some of the migrants received first aid, the agency added.
BEIRUT — The Lebanese army rescued more than 100 migrants Friday after their boat developed technical problems in the Mediterranean off the coast of northern Lebanon, state-run National News Agency reported. No one was hurt in the incident.
For years Lebanon had been a net recipient of refugees from the region, but since the small nation’s economic meltdown began in October 2019, thousands of Lebanese, Syrians and Palestinians have been attempting the dangerous trip across the Mediterranean to reach Europe in search of stability and opportunities.
Lebanon has some 805,000 U.N.-registered Syrian refugees, but officials estimate the actual number to be between 1.5 million and 2 million. Lebanon is also home to tens of thousands of Palestinian refugees and their descendants, many living in 12 refugee camps scattered around the country.
Over the past months, thousands of Syrian citizens fleeing worsening economic conditions in their war-torn country made it to Lebanon through illegal crossing points.In August, Lebanese troops detained dozens of Lebanese and Syrian traffickers in the country’s north while they were preparing to send migrants on boats to Europe across the Mediterranean Sea.
