Report: Libya Tightens Security Measures Against Lebanese
Following the footsteps of the United Arab Emirates, Libya kicked off an "undeclared" campaign to expel Lebanese citizens under the pretext of having ties with Hizbullah, al-Akhbar daily said Thursday.
Under claims of “relations with Hizbullah,” Lebanese are being expelled from Gulf countries mainly the United Arab Emirates, from the U.S., African and European countries and now Libya.
Lebanon's Foreign ministry is trying to end what seems like a systematic campaign to ill-treat Lebanese upon arrival at the world airports and expel those residing for work or education. The “virus” has hit Libya this time where about 18,000 Lebanese live there, the daily added.
Lebanese have been denied visas to the Arab Maghreb country, and moreover prevented from entry at the Tripoli International Airport despite possession of valid visas. Lebanese are being deported on the first plane heading to Lebanon, said the daily.
One Lebanese citizen said he was subject to interrogation at the Libyan airport. The questions focused on his place of residence in Lebanon and whether he lives in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Hizbullah's stronghold.
Although the Libyan interior ministry denied orders to ban visas to Lebanese nationals, it said it falls in the framework of precautionary measures taken against travelers holding visas issued by the Iranian Republic.
However former Information Minister Tarek Mitri, who is currently in Libya as the representative of the head of the U.N. Support Mission, confirmed that Libyan measures against the Lebanese went much beyond precautionary, and have come to be more like a collective punishment, according to al-Akhbar.
Metri was quoted as having facts that the Libyan authorities are banning Lebanese officials in the United Nations to work within their mission in Libya, it said.
According to reports, about 1,000 Lebanese citizens were expelled from the UAE under the pretext of having ties with Hizbullah.
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