Western Countries Fear Syrian Refugees in Lebanon Would Join Jihad
Western countries voiced fear that Syrian refugees in Lebanon would be driven to Jihad if the Lebanese state didn't provide them with their needs and improve their living conditions.
A prominent western diplomat said in comments published in As Safir newspaper on Tuesday that the international aid for Lebanon aims at helping Lebanon to deal with the large influx of Syrian refugees.
The Lebanese state, according to the diplomat, should “support the needs of the Syrian refugees to prevent them from engaging in security operations or deviating towards Jihad.”
The diplomat, nevertheless, stressed that the Syrian refugees will not remain in Lebanon or become permanent refugees.
“They will go back to their land,” the diplomat said.
According to the diplomat, the international community considers that Lebanon was the most affected country by the burgeoning flow of Syrian refugees, which makes it in desperate need for “protection.”
The number of Syrian refugees in Lebanon has surged to more than 962,000 according to the United Nations' refugee agency (UNHCR) and Lebanon is facing difficulties in coping with their burden.
President Michel Suleiman lamented recently during a meeting for the International Support Group for Lebanon in Paris that the “aid to the refugees has not met our expectations.”
Several International and Arab conferences have been held to aid the Syrian refugees in Lebanon and to help the state confront the economic and security woes caused by the crisis.
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