Lebanon has implemented new restrictions, barring Syrian nationals without a valid foreign residency from transiting through Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport to Syria.
A government circular issued on Monday mandates that airlines ensure Syrians traveling to Syria via the airport hold a residency permit from another country for at least six months. Those who do not meet the requirement will be returned on the same flight.
The reason for the new policy remains unclear, as Lebanese authorities have not provided an explanation. Beirut airport officials and Lebanon’s General Security Directorate, which oversees border control, did not respond to inquiries at the time of publication.
Since the start of Syria’s civil war in 2011, Lebanon’s airport has served as a major transit point for Syrians returning home, particularly after direct flights to Syria were suspended. Lebanon, with a population of five million, is home to about two million Syrian refugees, the highest refugee-to-population ratio in the world.
This policy shift follows recent changes in Syria’s entry regulations for Lebanese nationals. Additionally, the porous Lebanon-Syria border continues to be a hotspot for human trafficking, despite ongoing instability in Syria, which is plagued by factional violence and lawlessness. Meanwhile, Lebanon is dealing with the aftermath of its own conflict with Israel, which escalated into a full-scale war last year, leaving parts of southern Lebanon in ruins.