Syrians in Lebanon

Syrians in Lebanon (Arabic: السوريون في لبنان) refers to the Syrian migrant workers and, more recently, to the Syrian refugees who fled to Lebanon during the Syrian Civil War. The relationship between Lebanon and Syria includes Maronite-requested aid^[4] during Lebanon's Civil War which led to a 29-year occupation of Lebanon by Syria ending in 2005.^[5] Following the outbreak of the Syrian Civil War, refugees began entering Lebanon in 2011.^[6]

From the years of 2011–2016, there was an influx of over 1.5 million refugees from Syria to the neighboring country of Lebanon. Attempting to aid this number of people on top of Palestinian and Iraqi refugees from the past, created further economic and politic destruction for the country. Economically, Lebanon was overspending on the 1.5 million people who arrived since 2011. Politically, the Lebanese felt the need to choose a side in the Syrian war. In hopes to eliminate these issues, in 2016 the Lebanese government who has never had border laws created a border law banning people from entering the country without proper documentation (Gonzalez).

Lebanon's response towards the influx of refugees has been criticized as negative, with the Lebanese government leaving them undocumented and limited^[7] and attacks on Syrian refugees by Lebanese citizens which go unaddressed by authorities.^[8] Despite the strained relationship between the Syrians and Lebanese,^[5] taking into consideration only Syrian refugees, Lebanon has the highest number of refugees per capita in the world, with one refugee per four nationals.^[9] The power dynamic and position of Syria and Lebanon changed drastically in such a short amount of time, it is inevitable that sentiments and prejudices prevailed despite progressions and changes in circumstance.^[10] In 2024, Lebanese leaders discussed Syrian migrant issues, considering repatriation and limiting numbers due to the escalating crisis.^[11]