Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, has expressed concern over the increasing number of Syrian refugees entering the country, stating that it could disrupt the nation's demography. Mikati raised this issue during a cabinet meeting as he highlighted the potential imbalances that could arise from the influx of predominantly young men ad women.

He emphasized that such a situation could threaten Lebanon's independence and adversely affect its demographic balance. According to Issam Charafeddine, Lebanon's caretaker Minister of the Displaced, approximately 20,000 refugees have already crossed the border this year alone.

This significant influx comes at a time when Lebanon is grappling with its own severeomic crisis. The country, already burdened by hosting the largest number of refugees per capita in the world, is now faced with the challenge of managing this additional wave of displacement. In response to the mounting numbers, the Lebanese military has intensified its efforts to prevent unauthorized entry.

Clashes in a Palestinian refugee camp in south Lebanon have left 20 people wounded, official news agency NNA reported Friday, weeks after a deadly outbreak of violence rocked Ain al-Helweh. https://t.co/bMq5Qr9sWG

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Just this week, 1,200 Syrians were intercepted at the border, with another 1,100 prevented from entering the previous week. However, due to the porous nature of the Syrian-Lebanese border and the insufficient number of soldiers deployed, preventing all unauthorized crossings remains a difficult task.

The dire living conditions and lack of opportunities in Syria have compelled many Syrians to seek refuge in Lebanon, where they hope to find work and improve their circumstances. The ongoing conflict in Syria, which has claimed the lives of half a million people and displaced millions more, continues to drive the exodus from the war-torn country.

Lebanon had initially welcomed hundreds of thousands of refugees in the early years of the Syrian conflict. However, since the outbreak of its economic crisis in October 2019, the country's stance towards the growing refugee population has increasingly shifted. The combination of economic instability and the strain on resources has led to concerns about the potential ramifications for Lebanon's own social and economic fabric.

In response to the situation, Mikati announced that a cabinet session will be convened next week, bringing together the army commander and heads of security agencies to address the refugee issue. As Lebanon strives to find a sustainable solution, the plight of both refugees and the nation's delicate demography hangs precariously in the balance.