Hezbollah leader calls for exodus of Syrians to Cyprus

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has urged Lebanese authorities to “open the sea” for boatloads of refugees to come to Cyprus, in a bid to put pressure on Europe, it emerged on Tuesday.

During a speech broadcast on live television on Monday, Nasrallah called for a national decision to be made and to “open the sea to anyone who wants to leave for Europe, for Cyprus, the European Union country closest to the Middle East.” He hastened to add that he was not suggesting that Syrians be forcibly removed on boats.

Lebanon, mired in an unprecedented economic crisis since 2019, is host to nearly two million Syrian refugees — the highest per capita ratio in the world — and has repeatedly called on the international community to see to their repatriation.

Some factions in the country blame Syrian refugees for worsening conditions and pressure is intensifying in the leadup to the annual EU summit on Syria in Brussels on May 27.

President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, recently announced in Beirut the granting of one billion euros in aid to Lebanon, intended primarily to prevent irregular immigration. The announcement was criticized by many in Lebanon, as they believe the real purpose is to establish Syrian refugees remaining in their country.

Nasrallah in his speech said that since currently Syrian refugees are prevented by the Lebanese army from leaving, they turn to people smugglers with inflatable boats, and drown at sea.

He moreover demanded that the Lebanese parliament exert pressure on the EU and the United States to proceed with the lifting of sanctions against Damascus which, according to the Syrian government, are hindering efforts to distribute humanitarian aid and start a reconstruction process in that country.

Western states ought to begin reconstruction in Syria, Nasrallah said, saying Lebanon must [tell them] “we must all coordinate with the Syrian government to send the expatriates to Syria and offer them assistance there.”

The leader of the powerful Lebanese Islamist movement made the statements on the eve of the resumption of voluntary returns of Syrians from Lebanon to their homeland, a year and a half after they were suspended.

Human rights defenders warn against the risk of arbitrary arrests and torture of returning Syrians.

The highly complex war in Syria, which broke out in 2011, triggered by the authorities’ crackdown on protests cantered on the country’s democratization, has claimed the lives of more than half a million people and turned millions more into internally displaced persons and refugees.