Report: Syria Could Resort to Reciprocity over New Lebanon Entry Rules

Well-informed Lebanese officials said on Saturday that the Syrian side depicted the latest measures taken by Lebanon's government to control the influx of Syrian refugees as a “flagrant violation of the Lebanese-Syrian treaty that could aggravate relations between the two neighboring countries”.

The sources also did not rule out the possibility that the Syrian authorities could take similar measures as a retaliatory action by closing the transit border line between Lebanon and the Arab countries.

“What if the Syrian authorities decided to close the vital line that links Lebanon to the Arab countries. How would the Lebanese authorities react to such a measure, and what will the reaction of merchants, truck drivers, and thousands of Lebanese families who live of agricultural exports to Arab markets do,” the source told As daily said.

Lebanon had on Monday begun imposing entry restrictions on Syrians, including those fleeing their country's civil war.

The measures don't apply to Syrian refugees, and the procedures are limited to filling in a card that specifies the aim behind the visit of any Syrian and not a visa restriction.

The measures don't involve Syrians who hold refugee cards and are registered by the U.N. refugee agency.

Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq also stated on Saturday that the Lebanese government has taken the decision to stop the influx of Syrian refugees to Lebanon.

He stressed that “the exceptional measures were taken in exceptional circumstances that no one can deny due to the large number of brethren Syrian refugees entering Lebanon.

“We do not deny their favor when they received us during times of war and we will continue to do the same and provide them with their needs. However we will receive no more refugees unless in particular cases that will be decided by the General Security and the Ministry of Social Affairs.”

The new entry restrictions were highlighted during a meeting between head of the Lebanese-Syrian Higher Council Nasri Khoury and General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim.

The entry restrictions are the first in the history of the two countries and come as Lebanon struggles to deal with more than 1.5 million Syrian refugees.

The influx has tested the country's limited resources, as well as the patience of its citizens, particularly as security has deteriorated.

For months, Lebanon's government has sounded the alarm, warning the international community that it could no longer deal with the influx.

Starting October, the government said Lebanon would stop accepting displaced Syrians, with exceptions on humanitarian grounds only.

A U.N. report said on Wednesday that Lebanon is hosting the largest number of new refugee arrivals between January and June 2014.

UNHCR said Lebanon shot up from being the 69th largest refugee-hosting country to second largest within just three and a half years.