Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Monday said Lebanon was ready to expel Syrian refugees living in the country if the international community does not work to repatriate them.
Lebanon, grappling with its worst-ever economic crisis, has the world’s highest proportion of refugees in its population, with the government estimating that Syrians account for almost a quarter of its more than six million residents.
Mikati’s statement follows similar remarks made in May by social affairs minister Hector Hajjar, who said that Lebanon could no longer afford to host such a large refugee population.
