Lebanese troops on Sunday aborted an attempt to smuggle dozens of Syrian migrants to the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, the military said. The attempt to smuggle 69 Syrian citizens comes as Lebanon is witnessing a severe economic and financial crisis that has thrown more people into poverty. There have been attempts over the past year to smuggle migrants to European Union member Cyprus during which some of the migrants were killed. The Mediterranean island and Lebanon have an agreement to curb the arrival of boats loaded with migrants from reaching Cyprus. Lebanon, a tiny nation of six million people, including a million Syrian refugees, is passing through its worst economic crisis in its modern history.

Source: Daily Nation April 25, 2021 13:52 UTC