17 Assyrians Flee to Lebanon from Syria as Others Await Entry

إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية W460

Seventeen Assyrians fleeing the Islamic State extremist group were granted entry into Lebanon, reported the National News Agency on Tuesday.

It said that they entered the country through the Masnaa border-crossing on Monday night.

Voice of Lebanon radio (100.5) meanwhile said that 23 Assyrians were still waiting at the border at al-Masnaa for permission to enter Lebanon.

The names of refugees were included on a list handed by Assyrian Bishop Monseigneur Yatroun Coliana to General Security head Major General Abbas Ibhrahim.

Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq had recently ordered security agencies to facilitate the entry of Assyrian refugees from Syria.

Last week, IS extremists launched a new offensive in Syria and kidnapped 220 Assyrian Christians, raising fears of their persecution in the country.

Before Syria's civil war erupted in 2011, there were 30,000 Assyrians in the country, among an estimated Christian population of about 1.2 million.

IS is accused of multiple abuses against minorities in the areas under its control in Iraq, Syria and elsewhere.

M.T.

H.K.

Comments 4
Default-user-icon lebanon04 (Guest) 03 March 2015, 14:02

I hope they find safety in Lebanon, but the Assyrians also need to know that there are ISIS-Nusra jihadist terrorist sympathizers there too.

Default-user-icon Sami (Guest) 03 March 2015, 14:40

It is crazy that Assyrians are the Middle Easts' original natives and are barbarically being kicked out of their homes by these foreign terrorists. It is grand of Lebanon, my country to host them, and it makes me proud as a Lebanese Muslim.

Thumb Elemental 03 March 2015, 17:18

I thought Hezbollah and Assad loved and protected Christians? Again no better than ISIS, using them like pawns for their own amusement.

Thumb Elemental 03 March 2015, 23:01

Clearly you didn't read a basic sentence fully, grow up and get to your fake accounts like a good little boy ok?