New Syrian refugee movements: Illicit border crossings trigger refugee crisis

In the border region of Bqaiaa, two individuals are seen crossing the vast river from Syria into Lebanon, shedding light on how hundreds or even thousands of Syrian refugees can easily traverse from one side to the other.

This area has not witnessed such illicit movement since our presence, portraying an ongoing challenge for the authorities.

At the Bqaiaa point, a Lebanese army checkpoint stands by the river's bridge.

However, kilometers of dirt roads within the dividing barriers, upstream and downstream from the bridge, offer an effortless passage from one side to the other.

Residents in the Wadi Khaled Valley claim that human trafficking operations are absent due to geographical constraints.

Moreover, the local population prevents unauthorized movement toward the United Nations-demarcated area on the petroleum line.

Here, human trafficking activities thrive in plain sight. Approaching the illegal crossing point at the Abu al-Jahhash and Aabeidat crossings, operatives from smuggling networks are seen dispersing, firing warning shots into the air to deter further approaches.

Our observations capture motorcycles and vans ferrying passengers across the river to the Wadi Khaled area. 

We closely followed a motorcycle transporting unauthorized migrants to a garage in Wadi Khaled. They get off the bikes and on vans, delving further into Lebanese territory. The ceaseless activity of these smuggler motorcycles and vans is evident.

These vans, transporting Lebanese and Syrian passengers, undergo thorough inspections at the Lebanese army checkpoint in Chadra.

Recent surges in the refugee movement have compelled the army to tighten controls, resulting in the apprehension of around a thousand Syrians who had entered clandestinely in the past and subsequently repatriated to Syria. This strict approach has unveiled smuggling networks' cunning tactics to infiltrate refugees into deeper Lebanese territory.

A seized truck appears outwardly empty, yet its roof conceals several Syrians, males, and females, to smuggle them past military barriers.

Notably, the new influx of refugees is not limited to families; it includes young men arriving independently from their families.