Monitoring Desk
CAIRO: Lebanese naval forces conducted rescue operations on Saturday following the sinking of a boat carrying around 200 migrants, the army officials said on Twitter.
Separately, State-run TV tweeted that the initial information was that the boat had been transporting people from Syria, Palestinian, and Lebanon territories.
Migrants’ boat
According to the army officials, the boat was carrying people who had made attempt to illegally cross Lebanese waters, saying that at least three naval vessels escorted by a UN Interim Force in Lebanon arrived at the site, off the coast of Selaata, Beirut, and proceeded to save around 200 people.
UNIFIL has confirmed on Twitter that it was helping the Lebanese forces in search and rescue efforts at sea between Tripoli and Beirut.
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Around 100 migrants had died when their boat sank off the Syrian coast following departing from Lebanon in late September.
According to the UN’s refugee agency UNHCR as many as 1,570 people, including 186 Lebanese citizens, had tried to embark on illegal sea journeys from Lebanon since January 2021.
