Lebanese Army Foils Human Smuggling Attempt of 91 People
1 Min Read
In a statement, the Lebanese Army announced that it has detected a boat carrying 91 Lebanese, Syrians, and Palestinians, chased it, and rescued its passengers from human smuggling.
-
An image of the boat carrying Lebanese, Syrians, and Palestinians
The Lebanese Army Directorate of Orientation issued a statement revealing that the naval patrol chased a boat off the coast of Qalamoun, a town in north Lebanon "after the Intelligence Directorate obtained information about the possibility of human smuggling across the sea."
In the aforementioned statement, the Lebanese Army confirmed that 91 people - Lebanese, Syrian, and Palestinian nationals, including women and children, were spotted on a boat in a human smuggling attempt.
انقاذ مركب على متنه ٩١ شخص من الغرق#الجيش_اللبناني #LebaneseArmy https://t.co/otjWCb4Ax7 pic.twitter.com/ODkIcfn31B
— الجيش اللبناني (@LebarmyOfficial) November 20, 2021
It was announced that "the boat, which almost sank due to unfavorable weather conditions, has been seized. Everyone on board was rescued, taken to shore, and given the necessary aid."
This statement comes a day after the Lebanese Internal Security Forces announced a raid on a resort in Qalamoun, Thursday evening, where 82 people, including women and children, were caught preparing to head to Europe by sea for a sum of $5,000 per person.
Human smuggling is a phenomenon that has been recurrent lately due to the harsh and challenging economic conditions Lebanon has been experiencing since 2019.
