Saved from Death at Sea, Syrian Refugees Face Deportation

Refugees on their way from Türkiye to the Greek island of Lesbos across the Aegean Sea (AFP)

On New Year’s Eve, a small boat carrying more than 230 would-be migrants, most of them Syrians, broke down and began to sink after setting sail from the northern coast of Lebanon.

Since the collapse of Lebanon's economy in 2019, an increasing number of people — mostly Syrian and Palestinian refugees but also Lebanese citizens — have tried to leave the country and reach Europe by sea. The attempts often turn deadly.