By Naim Berjawi and Rania Abu Shamala
BEIRUT/ISTANBUL (AA) - The Lebanese army announced Friday it arrested 56 Syrians on charges of roaming without identification documents.
It said in a statement that units, supported by patrols from the Intelligence Directorate, "raided Syrian refugee camps in the areas of Anfeh, Bishmizzine, and Amyoun in the Koura district" of the North Governorate.
The said units arrested 31 Syrian refugees during the raids.
An army unit stopped 18 Syrians at the Madafoun military checkpoint in the city of Batroun, North Governorate, while an Intelligence Directorate patrol arrested seven more Syrians in the Doura area in the Matn district of Mount Lebanon Governorate (central Lebanon), it said.
The statement indicated that the arrests were made because the detainees were roaming Lebanese territories without legal documentation.
It explained that investigations have begun under the supervision of the competent judiciary.
Syrian state television quoted a source from the Ministry of Information confirming that the government emphasizes the priority of the issue of Syrian detainees in Lebanese prisons and the necessity to address the matter as soon as possible through official channels between the two countries.
In April, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam visited President Ahmad al-Sharaa in Damascus, the first by a Lebanese official, and discussed several issues, including Syrian detainees in Lebanon.
According to a statement from the Lebanese government, Salam discussed Syrian detainees in Lebanese prisons with Sharaa.
Coinciding with the reports, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun confirmed Friday that Lebanon is keen to maintain good relations with the new Syrian government and al-Sharaa
In a speech before a delegation from the Arab and International Relations Council in Beirut, Aoun stressed another constant in Lebanon’s foreign policy towards Syria: the commitment to "non-interference in the internal affairs of both countries," according to a statement from the Lebanese presidency.
The number of Syrian refugees in Lebanon is estimated at about 1.5 million people, including 758,000 registered with the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) by the end of 2024, while the Lebanese government estimates indicate the number is much higher.