Lebanon's Maronite Bishops Sound Alarm Over The Arming Of Syrian Refugees In The Country: 'This Is A Ticking Time Bomb And A Real Threat To The Safety And Security Of The Lebanese People'

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Lebanon's Maronite bishops have sounded the alarm over the arming of displaced Syrians in the country. In a statement released on January 3, 2024, the church fathers urged the government to take firm action against the arming of Syrian refugees, which they describe as a "ticking time bomb."

Lebanon Must Be Freed From "The Burden That Touches The Very Heart Of Its Demographics, Its Balance, And Its Economy"

On January 5, Lebanon's Maronite bishops held their monthly meeting at the Patriarchate of Bkerké, northeast of Beirut. Following the meeting, they issued a statement concerning affairs of the church and of the nation, which in part addressed the issue of armed Syrian refugees in Lebanon.[1]

"The church fathers have looked with great concern on the reality of displaced Syrians in Lebanon, and on what military and security searches and arrests have revealed about certain weapons and ammunition in the hands of refugees," the statement read, continuing, "This is a ticking time bomb and a real threat to the safety and security of the Lebanese people."

The bishops called on Lebanese authorities to undertake "serious work" to quell the dangerous development – which they called a "despicable reality" – and to develop the vision, as well as the political and diplomatic measures necessary to "relieve Lebanon of this burden that encroaches upon its safety and touches the very heart of its demographics, its balance, its economy, and the livelihood of its people."

Maronite bishops hold their monthly meeting on January 3, 2023.

Maronite Patriarch: "We Demand The Removal Of Any Missile Platform" From Southern Lebanon

The bishops' statement also warned of the possibility that the Israel-Hamas war will expand into Lebanon. It denounced what the church fathers called "the killing, destruction, and abuse that the Gaza Strip and West Bank are being subjected to at the hands of the Israeli army and Israeli settlers," but also expressed fear over "the results of the escalation on the ground in southern Lebanon [...] which reached the southern suburbs of Beirut yesterday."

Earlier, on December 31, 2023, Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Bechara Boutros Al-Ra'i also rejected "the extension of war into southern Lebanon." During remarks at a Sunday mass, he implicitly called on Lebanese Hizbullah to move its weaponry from southern Lebanon to avoid Israeli strikes.

"[The war] must be stopped, and the Lebanese, their homes, and their livelihoods must be protected, as they have not yet recovered from the ill-fated consequences of the Lebanese war. We demand the removal of any missile platform planted between homes in southern towns that requires a devastating Israeli response," Al-Ra'i said.[2]

Quoted remark by Al-Ra'i, taken from his sermon on December 31, 2023.